THE BLACK-BACKED GULL. 255 



upon the putrid mass. Tearing, tugging, and swal- 

 lowing piece after piece, until he is surfeited, he lies 

 down exhausted; but, owing to the great digestive 

 power of his stomach, in a short time he is again 

 on the wing to some well-known isle, where thousands 

 of young birds or eggs are to be found. There, with- 

 out remorse at the screams of the parents, he begins 

 leisurely to break open and devour, until he has again 

 satisfied his craving appetite. But though so tyran- 

 nical, he is yet a coward, and sneaks off at the ap- 

 proach of the Skua, a much smaller but bold sea- 

 bird, which is always ready to attack the relentless 

 robber. 



Upon the western shores of Labrador, for an ex- 

 tent of three hundred miles, this king of Gulls is 

 found in great numbers in the breeding season. Tow- 

 ard the commencement of Summer they arrive one 

 by one, the older ones first, greeting with loud cries 

 the first sight of their native land. With many bows 

 and gesticulations the pairing proceeds, until, at the 

 right time, they fly oiF to one of the many desert 

 isles that line the shore, and build their nests beneath 

 a projecting shelf, or in a wide cleft of a rock. They 

 are formed of moss and sea-weeds, carefully arranged, 

 being two feet in diameter, five or six inches in height, 

 and lined with feathers and dry grass. Not more 

 than three eggs are ever laid in one nest, which, like 

 those of most other Gulls, afibrd good eating. When 

 the young are five or six weeks old, they take to the 

 water, uttering the same sounds as the old birds. 

 Even at that early period they show great greediness 



