374 



LARID^. 



While spending nearly a week at this lake in 1846 (in 

 company with the distinguished entomologist A, H. Haliday^ Esq.) 

 I saw these gulls to great advantage. Prom the sandy beach at 

 Shanescastle Park, on the 1st of August, a "play" of them 

 was witnessed, just as we observe that of herring or other gulls 

 at sea, and the birds in similar numbers ; — after they alighted on 

 the water, I reckoned about 120 together. When in a body, and 

 also singly, they uttered a loud cackling laughing cry. Some were 

 adult, but by far the greater number immature : fine old birds 

 singly as well as in pairs came majestically sailing above the lofty 

 tree-tops towards the lake. Near Toome, on the following day, 

 they covered over the sands in numbers, such as we see other 

 gulls do on the sea-shore; there were about tliree hundred in 

 company; many curlews and eight or ten herons were beside 

 them, imparting quite a marine aspect to the scene. 



Leaving Ballinderry (county Derry) on the 5th of August, in a 

 boat, for Kam's Island, we saw a great number of these gulls 

 assembled along the margin of a small islet near the place of 

 our embarkation, as we did again about the rocks off Eam^s 

 Island ; not less than one hundred and fifty in each place. W e 

 were told that not a pair bred at the latter locality, this year, 

 on account of their place of nidification being inundated : the 

 keeper said that probably not less than two hundred pair bred 

 here last year. This will account for the numbers of these birds 

 which appeared about the lake, where they and the black -headed 

 were the only species I was sure of seeing on this occasion. In 

 crossing the lake to-day, we took eleven pollaus, all but one of 

 full size, floating on the surface alive, but with wounds in their 

 bodies, wliich the boatmen said were made by these gulls. Seeing 

 one of them and a poUan floating before it, we rowed up in the 

 hope of having proof of the evil-doer ; but in this instance the 

 fish had been injured in a net. The holes appear as if made by 

 the gulls'* beaks, and any part of the fish is evidently struck at 

 random. There is a common accusation at this lake against 

 lampreys — I know not how true — for " making holes " in the 

 bodies of various species of fish and destroying them. 



