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The metropolis of this species is undoubtedly Eastern Europe, whence it wanders into the 

 western portion of the continent, in most of the countries of which it has been known to occur. 

 It extends its range into Siberia, and has once been obtained in India. 



Eegarding its occurrence in Great Britain, Mr. J. H. Gurney, jun., forwards the accompanying 

 note: — " Prior to the year 1866 the Little Gull was considered a very rare British bird, although 

 before this date Mr. Hancock got several off the coast of Northumberland ; but only the first one 

 obtained was recorded : two of his specimens, young birds with slightly forked tails, were in the 

 Great Exhibition of 1851, and attracted much attention. He likewise assured me that Mr. W. E. 

 Brooks once saw several of these Gulls on Holy Island when he was cut off by the tide. In 

 1866, however, Dr. Boulton received several specimens from the Yorkshire coast ; and in October 

 1868 I obtained no less than ten examples, forwarded to me principally by his agent, a tailor and 

 taxidermist of the name of Bailey, who dealt largely in the plume-trade. Their expanded wings 

 measured from 1 ft. 2 J in. to 1 ft. 3J in., and the average length was 11 inches; the feet reddish 

 brown, brownest in the young birds. One specimen which I sent to Mr. Hancock had in its 

 mouth a fly ; the stomach of another, examined by Mr. Cordeaux, contained undigested portions 

 of several small fish, horny portions of fins and tails, vertebra, and ear-bones. Before the year 

 1870 the Little Gull had occurred most frequently in the months of October and November. Only 

 three or four specimens have ever been obtained in this country with the heads entirely black. 

 I have a female, which was shot by the before-mentioned Matthew Bailey on the 12th of July 

 1868, as it was beating up the wind in company with four Kittiwakes off the rock-bound coast 

 of Yorkshire ; generally they consort with Terns. When I came to skin it, there were two 

 hatching-spots upon the belly. Another, which might have been its mate, was obtained a few 

 days after at Bridlington by a gentleman of the name of Warmsley : both these birds had black 

 heads." 



In Scotland the Little Gull is of very rare occurrence, but has been obtained in East Lothian 

 and Wigtownshire. On the- south coast of Great Britain it is an occasional visitant. Mr. 

 Gatcombe, writing from Plymouth, says, " Larus minutus is rare on our coasts ; but I know of 

 half a dozen instances of its having been killed near Plymouth, all being in immature plumage. 

 One of these, obtained on the 3rd of February 1862, had already to a great extent assumed the 

 black head peculiar to the breeding-season, although the other parts of the plumage showed the 

 bird to be immature." 



With respect to its distribution in Scandinavia, Professor Nilsson states that this Gull was 

 formerly found during the summer on Gottland, and bred there in the marshes, as for instance 

 at Muskemyr, near Sundre, on the southern point of the island, but is now quite extinct. It 

 is occasional in Denmark, according to Kjserbolling, and has occurred in Heligoland, as recorded 

 by Gatke. Mayer also includes it among the birds of Livonia. 



Naumann states that, as far as Europe is concerned, it is an eastern bird, only occasionally 

 occurring on the coasts of the Baltic and other parts of Germany, at the mouths of the large 

 rivers, and on some of the lakes during the seasons of migration, and often in any thing but 

 small numbers. He states that it occasionally visits the Swiss lakes, and has also been procured 

 on the Neusiedler lake. 



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