380 BRITISH BIRDS. 



secondary feathers also edged with white. The bill is yellow 

 and the feet light pink. The herring-gull builds its nest on 

 steep cliffs and rocks, in which are deposited three olive-browui i; 

 eggs spotted with dark brown. This gull is one of the com- 

 monest that we see following the plough in the south of 

 England, and seems especially fond of the large soft chafer 

 larvae. 



The only other gull seen abundantly in our fields is — 

 The Common Gull {L. canus). — The common gull justly 

 deserves its name, for it may be found all round our seaboard 

 and often abundantly inland. It is not so big as the herring- 

 gull, seldom attaining a greater length than eighteen inches. 

 The head and neck are white with dusky spots, ventral surface 

 and tail white, the back bluish-grey, the two first primaries' 

 black with a large white space near the extremity, the tip 

 quite black. The bill is dusky-green at the base, yellow at the 

 tip, and the feet greenish - grey. The young have the bill 

 almost black with a yellow base, and dusky-yellow feet. It 

 breeds chiefly on rocky coast-lines, but may resort to marshes 

 to rest. This species commingles with the herring-gulls, roots, 

 and peewits in the ploughed fields, and does much good by 

 devouring numerous larvae. 



These three gulls should be well protected, as they are 

 decidedly friends to the farmer, 



11. Columbiformes. 



Doves and Pigeons (Columb^). 



The Columbffl are endowed with strong wings and great 

 powers of flight. The feet are slender and adapted for perch- 

 ing. They are all monogamous, and pair for life or some time, 

 The beak is weak, with a cere at the base and thin scales over 

 the nostrils. The young are quite helpless for days after they 

 are hatched — nestlings. They are fed by the parent first with 



