100 COMMON AMERICAN GULL. 



beyond the reach of the gun. While in our harbours or rivers it sails at 

 a moderate height, sometimes mingling with the Silvery Gull, or even 

 with the Great Black-backed. Its movements are graceful and easy, and 

 it floats as it were in the air, whether proceeding in a direct line, or in 

 irregular curves, when, suddenly checking its speed, it partially closes its 

 wings, and descends with rapidity in a spiral manner. As it approaches 

 the water, it allows its legs to hang, opens its bill, and while seizing its 

 food, raises its wings erect and flaps them quickly to support its body. 

 Now with loaded bill it sweeps off to some distance, alights, and devours 

 its prey. 



When in pursuit of a shoal of small fish, it assembles in flocks, keeps 

 up a constant yelping noise, dips every instant among the fry, and conti- 

 nues to feed until so gorged as to be unable to fly. Alighting in groups, 

 they float with great buoyancy, and it is pleasant to see them rising and 

 falling alternately on the waves of a moderately agitated sea, the snowy 

 whiteness of their under parts contrasting with the deep green water, and 

 their elongated wings extending beyond the tail, giving the appearance 

 of lightness and agility to their form. 



The flight of this species is light and long sustained, and the circum- 

 stance of birds of this genus being able to find food almost anywhere, in- 

 duces them at times to proceed far out to sea ; and I have now and then 

 been gratified by the sudden appearance of several birds of the present 

 species to the lee of the ship, on whose deck I was with impatience 

 watching for the sight of land. The winged pilgrims would no sooner 

 come up than they also would express their pleasure by their cries, espe- 

 cially when they received from the passengers bits of bread or such gar- 

 bage as might be at hand. Once fed, they would fly about us the whole 

 day, and sometimes would be seen the next ; and then perhaps all at 

 once, as if made aware of the existence of land in a particular direction, 

 they would fly ofi", and we would see no more of them. 



When spring has fairly commenced, our Common Gulls assemble in 

 parties of hundreds, and alight on mud flats or sandy beaches, in our 

 eastern estuaries and bays. For a while they regularly resort to these 

 places, which to the Gulls are what the scratching or tooting grounds are 

 to the Pinnated Grous. The male Gulls, however, although somewhat pug- 

 nacious, are not very inveterate in their quarrels, making up by clamour 

 for the deficiency of prowess in their tournaments. The males bow to 

 the females with swollen throats, and walk round them with many odd 



