292 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. 
Black-backed, attacked by a Richardson’s Skua. It must 
have been ravenous to venture against such a large bird. 
The Gull turned ‘upon its puny assailant, struck him, and 
knocked him down on to the ground as a reward for his 
overweening ambition. The man then picked him up and 
found that one eye was struck out, notwithstanding which 
painful injury, he eat some food which was offered to him, 
after which he was taken to my informant who sent him to 
the Zoological Gardens, but I do not know how long he 
survived his injuries. 
KITTIWAKE, 
When I visited Flamborough soon after the passing of 
the Sea-birds Act, I found that the poor Kittiwakes were 
getting up their numbers very slowly. I did not see above 
a hundred. It was of course the plume trade which had 
thinned them so. Parties always shot at them in preference 
to the Guillemots, because they paid part hire of the boat. 
Mr. Bailey informed me that they were called “ Petrels,” 
and in their second year “ Mackerel birds.” 
BLACK-HEADED GULL, 
In 1860, on the day of the great gale—the memorable 
28th of May, I visited Scoulton Mere, in Norfolk, with my 
father, the largest Gullery of its kind in England. About 
16,000 eggs had been gathered. In 1872, when I went 
again, only 4,000 eggs were taken. This sad falling off was 
due to dry seasons. Brown, the keeper, told me that once 
the farmers spread the fields in the neighbourhood with 
manure sown with salt, which poisoned the worms, etc., 
upon which the Gulls fed, and that a great number died in 
consequence. He said that they suffer from Stoats and 
Rats. He had on one occasion 1 50 of the nestlings and 
