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only large enough to admit one. But such is a cricket's life on these flats ! In dry weather, when 

 the tides are low, this is a perfect harvest-ground for the Tarapunga, whole acres being sometimes 

 covered with these small Gulls, devouring crickets as fast as they can pick them up. 



At Stewart Island, at the end of February, 1896, I saw in Half-Moon Bay, a considerable 

 flock of these lovely Gulls, many of which, as I could distinctly see, had red bills and feet, whilst 

 others had pale feet. To solve the matter I shot one of the latter which proved, on dissection to 

 be a female. The plumage was the same as in ordinary specimens of L. scopulinus and the bird 

 was a fully adult one. The bill in its basal half was reddish-brown, the rest being pale brown, 

 whilst the legs and feet were greyish-brown instead of being red ; irides pale grey, with jet-black 

 eye-lids. These differences, not being seasonal, are evidently characteristic of the female. 



It is a very pretty sight to watch several hundred of these little Gulls fishing in company. 

 Subjoined is a snap-shot, taken with a hand camera, by Mr. Herbert Steadman, of Whangarei, at 

 a flock of these birds following a shoal of kahawai fish in the Hauraki Gulf. 



LARUS SCOPULINUS FOLLOWING SHOAL OF KAHAWAI. 



Young. — On board the little steamer ' Awarua,' I noticed two young ones in a cage. The 

 upper surface was very prettily variegated, the centre of each feather being pale brown, with 

 a narrow white margin. This is the first year's plumage. 



The nest is usually a very unfinished structure of grass and sea-weed loosely thrown together, 

 and pressed down in the centre. 



Mr. Saunders records specimens from Chatham and the Auckland Islands, remarking that 

 examples from the last-named locality have unusually short, stout bills. 



&=** 



ft 



mm 



