424 THE HERRING GULL. 



ibly of the purity of the elements around. The length of 

 this species being 3 feet or upwards, and its spread of wings 

 some 4^ feet, it compares well in size with the larger birds 

 of prey, and its strong steady stroke of the wings, as well 

 as its spiral soaring, is very suggestive of the grand flight 

 of the larger Buzzards. Pure white in maturity, with yel- 

 low bill and red gonys, a light bluish-gray curtain over the 

 back and wings, ends of the primaries jet-black tipped or 

 spotted with white, feet a delicate flesh color, this bird is 

 an object of great beauty in whatever attitude one meets it. 

 On clear sunny days of April I have seen it flying leisurely 

 northward, overland, so high up that it appeared at first 

 sight like a bit of stray down floating in the atmosphere, 

 and only as the eye adjusted itself to the distance could its 

 outline be defined. 



The Herring Gull breeds in community in a number of 

 places about Georgian Bay, sometimes a dozen or fifty 

 appropriating small rocky islands or shoals, sometimes very 

 large communities taking possession of larger islands, 

 or even groups of them. One of the most extensive breed- 

 ing places is the island called the Half-moon, lying between 

 Cape Hurd and the east end of Great Manitoulin. Here 

 the fishermen sometimes obtain hundreds of dozens of the 

 eggs at a time. The nest, generally placed in the most 

 exposed situation on the bare rocks, sometimes under shel- 

 ter of the bushes, is a promiscuous pile of trash and dirt — 

 consisting largely of moss and lichens gathered from the 

 rocks, of small sticks and dried grasses, of almost anything 

 to be picked up in the vicinity — pretty well heaped up, and 

 with a considerable depression in the center. The eggs, 

 the full complement of which is three, are about 2.75—2.83 x 

 1.80-2.00. The color is greenish or brownish drab, with 

 dark brown and light grayish-brown spots, blotches and 



