THE LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL. 375 



May 4tli, 1850. A fisherman at Derrywarragh island, Lough 

 Neagh, told us that the common tern, black -headed and " pollan 

 gull," used to breed on Coney Island, oft' Maghery Bay, where he 

 had seen their eggs. For the last two years, however, they had 

 not done so owing to a family living constantly on the island, 

 and the children disturbing the birds. We remarked the two 

 species of gulls about the lake to-day, assuming immature birds 

 to be more probably L. fuscus than L. argentatus. A party 

 visiting Ram's Island on the 4th of June 1850, saw about 

 twenty of these gulls in various stages of plumage seated on the 

 stones adjacent to the island, but they could not find any of their 

 nests, nor obtain information respecting their breeding there. On 

 the 12th of the same month, a few were seen about Toome, and a 

 boatman stated that they formerly bred on Scawdy Island, but 

 do not now."^ 



In the island at Lough Conn (Mayo), already alluded to as a 

 breeding-haunt of the black-headed gull, not less than a dozen 

 nests of the lesser black-backed species were observed in 1840 or 

 '1841.t When on the borders of Lough Carra, in the same county, 

 on the 4th of July, 1834, an adult bird flew within a few yards 

 of us. 



I have often remarked the partiality of the lesser black -backed 

 gull to ascending rivers as well as to visiting inland lakes. One, 

 two, or three of these birds may be seen occasionally in winter, 

 and daily in spring (in some seasons so early as February), 

 flying tolerably high above the river Lagan, near Belfast, J and 

 proceeding so far as the first fall above the sea, where the flow 

 of the tide terminates, and the canal commences. Once only have 

 I seen them farther up the river, when a couple of young birds 

 appeared nearly two miles above tide-reach. They seem indif- 

 ferent whether the tide be in or out, and I have very rarely 

 observed them to stoop to the water for food. Immature birds 

 are more scarce here than adults, which from the contrasted 



* Mr. J. R. Gan-ctt. t Mr. B. Ball. 



\ A fine adult specimen, shot in the bay here in August, and preserved for the 

 Museum, was, in length 22 inehes, breadth 4 feet 7^ inches, weight 2 lbs. 



