392 



o'clock, thousands may be seen congregated together, looking from Minora itself like a huge 

 white sheet. They are very tame ; and a dozen may be secured at a single shot." 



I have never had the good fortune to see the Slender-billed Gull in a wild state, and can 

 give no details respecting its habits from personal observation. It appears to frequent the 

 coasts, and to range but seldom inland ; but it affects low sandy localities during the breeding- 

 season, and is generally found near saltwater lagoons, where it breeds, like its allies, on the 

 ground. Until within the last few years but little was known about the breeding-habits of this 

 Gull, and its eggs were rare in collections ; but large numbers have since been sent from Turkey 

 by Dr. Cullen. This gentleman has given a very good account of the nidification of this species, 

 which was communicated to ' The Field ' by Dr. Bree, and which I transcribe as follows : — " At 

 various places along this coast the sandy shores are only raised one to two feet above the sea- 

 level, separating it by a narrow belt of sand from large spaces or lagoons of shallow brackish 

 water, in which, again, are small islets partially covered with reeds, and often joined to others by 

 long narrow sand-bars. A lengthened and even tiresome examination of one of these localities 

 was at last rewarded by the discovery of a colony of Slender-bills. The nest, neatly made of 

 seaweed, but containing no wool or lining whatever, covered a space 30 feet long by 15 feet 

 broad on the bare open sand, distant on one side by about 8 feet to 10 feet from a large colony 

 of Caspian Terns, and on the other all but intermingling with some of Sterna minuta, only one 

 nest of this latter being found in the midst of the Slender-bills. All contained eggs ; and, 

 though there could be no doubt that we had discovered one great object of our search, we left 

 them untouched, drew up our boat on shore, selected a suitable spot for camping on during the 

 night, under the shelter of some reeds at a distance from the nests, and then, choosing the most 

 characteristically marked eggs, we set our traps ; and some birds having been caught, we had the 

 pleasure in the morning of securing some really authentic eggs of this rare bird. No nest con- 

 tained more than three eggs. At first they were not at all shy. On being disturbed they 

 uttered a cry very much resembling the call of the Rook, but more prolonged, softer, and less 

 harsh. On rising against the sun, as they kept together in a compact body and did not at all 

 mix with any of the other species, the rosy tint of their breasts presented a most beautiful sight, 

 glowing like a summer cloud coloured by the setting sun. On the female returning to her nest, 

 the male invariably accompanied her, and remained standing by it. Their food consists entirely 

 of a species of beetle (DytAscus) ; and of these their stomachs were quite full. The day after the 

 capture of a second lot the spot was entirely deserted by the rest. When fresh and lying in 

 the nest, the eggs had the same delicate tint which is so noticeable in the breast of the living 

 bird. This in the latter fades in an hour after death, and loses half its brilliancy, and in the 

 former disappears after being blown." 



In my collection are several eggs of the Slender-billed Gull obtained by Dr. Cullen, and 

 three from the Guadalquivir, which vary a good deal in markings. The ground-colour is white 

 in some with a warm tinge; and the markings, which consist of spots and blotches, are blackish 

 brown and dark umber-brown in the surface-blotches, and purplish grey in the shell-spots. 

 One of the eggs from Spain is especially richly blotched with deep umber-brown ; and one or two 

 from Turkey are but sparingly marked with small blackish-brown spots. In size they vary from 

 If* by Iff to 2^j by If £ inch. 



