LAEID^. 379 



Like the Herring-Gull, the Lesser Black-backed Gull is a great robber of 

 other birds' eggs. 



Common Gull. Lams canus, Linn. 



[Sea Mew, Winter Mew, Barley Bird, Long-winged Screamer (on the 

 Exe), Codd}- Noddy (young) : Dcv.'~\ 



An autumn and winter visitor to our estuaries, from August to the 

 middle of April, when it leaves us for its breeding-places. In early spring 

 small parties fly far inland, following the ploughs and feeding on the 

 worms and grubs turned up. The Common Gull was formerly numerous 

 on the Exe estuary in the autumn and winter months, constantly feeding 

 on the fore-shore at low water, above Topsham. Some fifteen years ago, 

 however, it had become so scarce that we had great difficulty in procuring 

 a specimen. Latterly it has increased again, and is now as plentiful as 

 ever. Adults are seen on the Exe in breeding-plumage in April. Mr. 

 Gatcombe observed that in 1876 this species was rather more abundant 

 than it had been for some years at Plymouth. It was plentiful in the 

 harbour in March IbTT, March 1878, Nov. 1879, and March 1883 (mostly 

 in pairs) (Zool. 1877, pp. 45, 279; 1878, p. 249; 1880, p. 48; 1883, 

 p. 419). Mr. li. P. IS'icholls informed us that he had never seen a 

 specimen in summer plumage at Kingsbridge ; a few immature birds 

 sometimes remain there till May, or perhaps later. This Gull is common 

 on the Teign (H. S., Zool. 1800, p. G793 ; and C. S.) ; and is said to be an 

 occasional visitor to Lundy Island (Trans. Devon. Assoc, vol. viii. p. 309). 



The nesting of the Common Gull in Devonshire, recorded by Mr. A. G. 

 More in his interesting paper in the ' Ibis' (1805, p. 455) on the distribu- 

 tion of British birds daring the breeding-season, is of course erroneous, 

 as this species, as is now well known, does not nest south of Scotland, and 

 we regret to have been amongst those who led Mr. A. G. More astray. 

 The Common Gull makes its appearance on the Devonshire coast in the 

 autumn, and during the winter we have seen it in extraordinary numbers 

 on the sand and mud-Hats on the Exe and Teign. In North Devon it is 

 also very common, and is the most numerous of the Gulls which come 

 inland to seek for food on the freshly ploughed fields, for this reason 

 getting its name of " ]iarley Bird," because it is seen about the fields as 

 late in the spring as the season of barley sowing. Even Col. Montagu 

 supposed that the Common Gull nested in the south, and writes : " We 

 saw some hundreds sitting on tlieir nests in an island off St. David's 

 (Ramsey I.); the nests were made of seaweed, and were placed near 

 together about fourteen feet from the beach." These M'ere, of course, 

 Kittiwakes' nests. Col. ^Montagu states that Common Gulls " flock witli 

 Kooks in severe weather, and follow the plough for tlio sake of tho larva) 

 of the chatfer and worms.'" The changes of jdumage in the various Gulls, 

 as they pass year after year from the huffish brown of the nestling stage 

 towards the gradual assum})tion of tho grey mantle, white head, tail, and 

 underparts of tho adult state, have proved a great puzzle to ornithologists, 



