LARIDA. 673 
THE HERRING-GULL. 
Larus ARGENTATUS, J. F. Gmelin. 
THE YELLOW-LEGGED HERRING-GULL. 
Larus CACH{NNANS, Pallas. 
The Herring-Gull is the most widely distributed member of its 
family on the coasts of the British Islands, breeding wherever pre- 
cipitous rocks or isolated ‘ stacks’ afford a suitable refuge, while it 
is almost the only Gull that nests on the chalk-cliffs of the Channel. 
Occasionally it resorts to low marshy ground, and colonies may be 
found on islets in lochs in some parts of Scotland, though such 
situations are usually left to the Black-backed and Common Gulls. 
This species occurs in Greenland, and has been obtained on Jan 
Mayen, but not in Iceland. It is abundant on the coasts of 
Scandinavia and the Baltic, and immense numbers nest on some of 
the low Frisian Islands, especially on Sylt, where from 40,000— 
50,000 eggs are taken for eating in a season. Southward it ranges 
down the western sea-board of Europe, stretching out to the Azores. 
In America it has been found on the coasts and inland waters, from 
the Parry Islands (lat. 75° N.) down to about 40° (breeding), and iin 
winter to 20° N. 
The nest, formed of herbage, is usually on the ledges of cliffs, 
3 F 
