LARID.E. 080 



A-oimg at riymoiith, and on July 18th, 1883, there were many on the 

 St. Germans liiver which had already returned from their breeding- 

 haunts (Zool. 1882, p. 459 ; 1883, p. 421). Montagu, however, observed 

 some with black heads at the begianing of July on the south coast of 

 Devon, and non-breeding birds remain on the Exe and Kingsbridge 

 estuaries until the middle of May, and even later. The greater part 

 leave Plymouth Sound by the middle of March (Zool. 1877, p. 279 ; 

 1878, pp. 52, 432), and Kingsbridge estuary as soon as they have 

 assumed the black head (E. A. S. E.), but many adults remam on the Exe 

 estnary till the middle of April. Mr. lioss, in his M.S. ' British Laridae,' 

 says of this species " in large flocks on the Exe at all times of the year." 

 Ttiere is, however, no breeding-place in Devonshire, but as a " Guller}- "' 

 has been established on the north side of Poole Harbour (' Field ' for 

 February 23rd, 1884, p. 276), besides several others in Dorsetshire, the 

 birds that frequent the E.xe have not far to go in the breeding-season. 

 Old birds, and young birds of the year, return from their breeding-places 

 generally at the end of August or beginning of September, but sometimes 

 by the middle of July. The birds of the year are occasionally, though 

 rareh', obtained in the first autumnal moult in July and August, with 

 much of the wood-brown colour of the first plumage remaining. Examples 

 in this state of plumage obtained on the Exe on July 17th and August 

 4th, 1851, and July lUth, 1852, are in the A. M. M., and Mr. Gatcombe 

 saw a very young bird which was obtained at Warleigh on the Tamar, 

 early in August 1885 (Zool. 1885, p. 378). A bird in full breeding- 

 plumage, but with a reddish-brown (not black) head, was killed on the Exe 

 July 22iid, 1844 (F. W. L. 11., MS. Journ. iv. p. 125). The spjall race or 

 variety capistrahifi occurred on the Dart, December 1849 (A. X., Zool. 1850, 

 p. 2825), and three at Torcpiay, January 4th, 1871 (J. H. G., Zool. 1871, 

 p. 2631). The black head is sometimes retained very late or assumed 

 very early in the season in this county. One with a dark head was shot 

 on December 3rd, 1853; one was seen at Exmouth, December 21st, 

 1874, and numbers in November 1891 ; and one with entirely black hood 

 on January 11th, 1875 (' Field,' January 23rd, 1875). About the middle 

 of February is the usual time for the assumption of the black hood on the 

 south coast of Devon. The adults are in their most perfect breeding- 

 plumage early in March, and are usually in their winter plumage by 

 October. 



During the severe frost in February 1855 and January 1891, Plack- 

 headed (xulls entirely disappeared from the Exe estuar}'. 



Although there is no Devonshire breeding-station of this very pretty 

 Gull, great flocks arrive early in the autumn to spend the winter wilh us, 

 and it is during the winter months very abundant upon our coasts, perhaps 

 ranking next to the Kittiwakc in numbers. Towards the middle of 

 August we used to sec the first arrivals of this Gull on the liarnstaplo 

 river, when a large flock, consisting mainly of young birds of the year in 

 their pretty chc(iuered plumage of liglit brown, grey, and white, made 

 their appearance, and were very tame and confiding, more so than any 

 other members of the Gull family. Througliout the winter numbers 



