LIFE-HISTORY OF THE HKIililNG-GULL. 425 



that she wished to he fed ; both uttered the suhdued note and 

 jerked their heads upwards. The male eventually disgorged 

 some food, after running a few feet to one side. This the hea 

 devoured. Then l)ofch jerked repeatedly and the hen ran crouching 

 round the cock. He mounted her, and had four or five separate 

 connections before dismounting. It may here be noted that 

 when the head is jerked upwards the sulxlued note is always 

 uttered too, and that this ceremony is often indulged in without 

 feeding or coition following. Indeed, in about 50 per cent, of 

 the cases noted nothing further ensued. Another ])air acted 

 as follows : A male Gull was calhng with wide open mouth ; 

 his mate was standing near, and, stimulated apparently by the 

 sight of his open mouth, ran up and without any preliminary 

 jerking pecked at the male's beak ; she also pecked at the 

 ground. She kept this up without cessation for a full two 

 minutes ; the cock then ran a few feet to one side, disgorging a 

 considerable quantity of food on to the ground. Up till then 

 there was no jerking or subdued calling. After the hen had 

 eaten the disgorged food the male commenced jerking and 

 uttering the subdued note ; the female replied in a similar 

 manner, and again pecked at the male's beak with no result. 

 The cock then mounted the hen, and coition ensued. The male 

 took the lead in the jerking ceremony, and these and subsequent 

 observations suggest that when the ceremony is initiated by 

 the female she desires food, whereas when the male takes the 

 initiative he is desirous of coition. 



In another case noted on this day, coition ensued after the 

 head-jerking ceremony, and several cases were noted of the heu 

 being fed by the male regurgitating food subsequent to the 

 ceremony. 



Another form of ceremony was observed to-day and on other 

 occasions. It was as follows : A bird flew in and settled near 

 another ; both then commenced bowing their heads up and 

 down, the heads being bent towards the ground all the time, the 

 beak pointing directly towards it ; they walked round meanwhile, 

 uttering a note which may perhaps be compared to the " cluck " 

 of a domestic fowl. (The manceuvres of the birds reminded me 

 of Oyster-catchers (Hceniatopus ostralcgiis) when the males are 

 following a female, bobbing their bent heads up and down and 



