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"The eggs of the Herring-Gull are decidedly the larger. In sixty-six eggs the smallest 

 measured in length 2 inches 6J lines by 1 inch 8-| lines in width, and the largest 3 inches by 

 2 inches ^ line, whilst the average was 2 inches 8 \ lines by 1 inch 10 f- lines. Taking sixty- 

 eight eggs of the Lesser Black-back, the smallest measured 2 inches 4 lines by 1 inch 9 lines, 

 and the lai'gest 2 inches 11 lines by 1 inch 11^ lines, giving an average of 2 inches *l\ lines by 

 1 inch 9f lines." 



Mr. Howard Saunders informs me that " during the breeding-season this Gull is a great 

 destroyer of eggs ; and the small colony of Gannets at Lundy Island has suffered terribly from 

 the repeated raids made upon their nests. When rounding the north end of the island where 

 the Gannets breed, vessels frequently fire a shot for the sake of seeing the vast clouds of 

 Guillemots, Razor-bills, Puffins, and Kittiwakes which then take wing. Down come the 

 Herring-Gulls, and numerous eggs of the Guillemots become their prey. However, as these 

 are in thousands it does not so much matter; and, again, the sitting Guillemot is not easily 

 disturbed. But the unfortunate Gannets have their nests emptied in a twinkling, the eggs 

 being frequently transfixed and carried off on the Gulls' bills to some neighbouring rock. On 

 one of these I found about a dozen sucked eggs, some of them, in spite of the two holes, might 

 have made fairish cabinet specimens, had they been rare enough to make it worth while keeping 

 them. These Gulls are bold enough in their pursuit of food; and on one occasion a hungry 

 fellow, who was sucking an egg on a ledge above me, positively sent a stream of yolk trickling 

 down on to my hand as I was climbing towards him, gobbling away for dear life as he calculated 

 to an inch the rapidly diminishing distance between us, and never taking wing till the last second, 

 which brought me within arm's reach." 



The specimen figured is one in my collection, obtained near Uddevalla, in Sweden. The 

 adult birds in summer plumage described are in the collection of Mr. Howard Saunders ; and the 

 winter-plumaged specimen and young bird described are in my collection. 



In the preparation of the above article I have examined the following specimens : — 



E Mus. H. E. Dresser. 



a, ad. Leadenhall Market, December, b, juv. Pagham, September, c, <$ . Uddevalla, Sweden, April 1st, 

 1872 {Meves). d, 6. St. Petersburg. e,3. Rupert House, Hudson's Bay, June 20th, 1860; /, d juv. 

 Fort Macon, North Carolina, February 1869 (Dr. Coues) . g, 6 juv. Koshkonong Lake, Wisconsin, 

 April 17th, 1871 (Dr. Brewer), h, pullus. Maine, U. S. (Krider). 



E Mus. Howard Saunders. 

 a, tf , b, $ . Orkneys, summer (Dunn) . c, 6 ad. Borkum, September 7th. d, 6 . Havre, January 1st, 1873. 

 e, g juv. Pagham, September 1869. /, 6 • Labrador. 



E Mus. J. H. Gurney, jun. 

 a, ad. North England; b, d juv. Greatham, Durham, January 21st, 1867 (J. H. G., jun.). c, 6 juv. St. 

 Leonard's, Sussex, January 1861. d, ad. (winter plumage). St. Leonard's. 



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