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daylight. I am not aware that it has previously been remarked that they are night-feeding 

 birds." Lord Lilford likewise states that the Herring-Gull is common in the Ionian Islands ; 

 and Canon Tristram writes that it is common on the coast of Southern Palestine. It doubtless 

 occurs in the winter season on the coast of Northern Africa, and has been recorded as occurring 

 on the Angola coast ; but it is most difficult to define whether the occurrences recorded under 

 the name of L. argentatus refer to the present species or to the yellow-legged southern species 

 (L. leucophceus). Doubtless, however, the Herring-Gull of the Atlantic islands is the present 

 species ; and Mr. F. Du Cane Godman states that it is found on the " Azores, eastern, central, 

 and western groups, Madeira, Canaries. Common everywhere about the sea-coasts and mountain- 

 lakes. Some remain throughout the year, though there are said to be more in summer than in 

 winter. They breed about the coast, and particularly on a small island about a quarter of a mile 

 from the south-west point of Fayal, which in June was quite covered with them." 



The Herring-Gull of Eastern North America has been described by Bonaparte as L. argen- 

 tatoides, and by Coues as L. smithsonianus, the former being merely a small and the latter a 

 large variety of the present species. Professor Baird gives its range as the " Atlantic coast, from 

 Texas to Newfoundland, western States, Ohio and Mississipi rivers," to which I may add that it 

 is resident and very numerous in the Bay of Fundy, and, Mr. George A. Boardman informs me, 

 numbers breed on the islands, occasionally nesting on trees. Captain Blakiston met with it in 

 the Hudson's Bay territory, and writes that " besides my specimen killed at York Factory, on 

 Hudson's Bay, Mr. Murray also records the Herring-Gull from Severn House, a little further 

 south. Besides these there is a specimen in the Smithsonian Institution from Nelson River ; and 

 Mr. Bernard Ross records it from the Mackenzie." Dr. Elliott Coues states that the Common 

 Herring-Gull connects directly with the dark-backed race of Western America (L. occidentalis) 

 by the North-Pacific strain. The same may be said as regards the Asiatic Herring-Gull. 

 Judging from the descriptions given by the Siberian travellei's, the Herring-Gull of Siberia is 

 L. occidentalis ; and specimens obtained in China by Mr. Swinhoe, on comparison with examples 

 from North-western America, agree precisely. All the Siberian travellers state that the bird 

 obtained by them has the legs flesh-coloured, and the mantle very dark, thus showing that it is 

 not referable to Larus leucophceus. Mr. Meves informs me that the specimens of L. leucophceus 

 which he obtained in the Ural did not resemble L. argentatus in the colour of the mantle, but 

 on the other hand were nearly as dark as L. occidentalis, but they all had yellow legs. The 

 Herring-Gull of Persia and Baluchistan, judging from examples lent to me for examination by 

 Mr. Blanford, is referable to L. leucojrficeus ; but Mr. A. O. Hume appears to have obtained both 

 Larus leucophceus and L. occidentalis on the Mekran coast, the former being the bird to which 

 he refers under the name of L. argentatus ; for he distinctly speaks of the colour of the legs as 

 being pale lemon-yellow. 



With us in Great Britain the Herring-Gull is resident, being by no means uncommon in the 

 winter season. Macgillivray writes that " during the winter it is dispersed along the coasts, 

 chiefly in the inlets and estuaries, where it assembles in vast numbers, when the young herrings 

 are congregated in them. Comparatively few are then seen in the northern parts of Scotland, 

 and scarcely any of the young, which on the other hand are numerous on the southern coasts. 

 On extensive beaches, and especially on such as run out into an angle or point, multitudes may 



