290 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. 
paces of me fora piece of bread. I dare say they would 
take it from the hand if the Ducks did not drive them 
about. 
WHITE GULLS. 
At p. 9784 of the “Zoologist,” a description is given of a 
White Gull shot at Lytham, and I should like to offera 
few remarks upon it, as the bird has since passed into my 
possession. It is not correct to speak of it as pure white, 
for there are some dark feathers on the occiput, and on the 
underparts faint remains of the broccoli-brown, which charac- 
terises the immature plumage of the Glaucous Gull, and 
that the recorder was correct in referring it to that species I 
have little doubt, but I do not at all agree in his conclusion 
that it must be a very old one. I should rather judge it to 
be in the intermediate stage between old age and imma- 
turity. Although he says he has never seen or heard of _ 
one, there are such things as albino Gulls.) My father — 
possessed two, and in each of them I discovered a dark 
feather on careful examination, which proved to me that 
they were not the Glaucous. 
GREATER WHITETHROAT. 
It is well known that the autumn plumage is different 
from the spring. Among other points is the head, which 
turns from brown to grey, but it would appear that some 
carry the brown head—like certain cock Blackcaps—into 
the ensuing spring, for a female sent from Cromer light- 
house, which it had flown against, in May, 1872, was in that 
state of plumage. Of course I am well aware that there 
are numerous instances of other birds which should in the 
‘normal course of thing, be adult by Christmas, carrying 
their immaturity into the spring succeeding, and I think all 
