386 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



SEA-BIRD COLONIES IN THE ISLE OF MAN. 

 By P. Ralfe. 



For a number of years, but especially during the last three 

 summers, I have had opportunities of visiting the breeding-places 

 of sea-birds in the Isle of Man, and have during that period seen 

 nearly the entire coast. The extreme north has a shore of sand 

 and gravel, either flat or with cliffs of sand and clay. In the 

 neighbourhood of Castletown the sea-edge is of low limestone, 

 but with these exceptions our coast is of steep and often lofty 

 rock, broken by many curving bays and creeks. The principal 

 nesting-places are on the west and south-west (that is, between 

 Peel and Port St. Mary, going south), but the east has also at 

 least two points where sea-birds are present in some numbers. 



As regards particular species, the result of the observations 

 I have been able to make is as follows : — 



The Herring Gull, Larus argentatus, is here vastly the most 

 abundant of all species. At many points, and sometimes for very 

 considerable distances in almost unbroken continuity, its nests 

 are to be found. Its long protection by law has no doubt con- 

 tributed to this. It swarms also all the year round in our bays 

 and harbours, feeding upon fish-offal on the quays, and general 

 refuse in the harbours, and perching on the adjoining houses and 

 even the steamers lying alongside. In flocks of hundreds it follows 

 the plough, or settles in the fallow fields all over the country. It 

 would be an interesting question how far its winter numbers are 

 increased in spring by the arrival of gulls which have spent the 

 winter in places which offer them no nesting facilities. 



As in winter a flock of the Herring Gull is often attended by 

 one or two Lesser Black-backed Gulls, L.fuscus, so a breeding- 

 station often contains a pair or two of the same species. But at 

 two spots the Black-backs have formed small colonies of their 

 own in the midst of the grey birds. Both of these are upon 

 isolated stacks, and they are not far distant from each other. 

 These colonies, like the Kittiwakes to be presently mentioned, 

 were first shown to me by my friend Mr. F. S. Graves in 1891. 



I have seen and heard of only one colony of the Kittiwake, 

 Rissa tridactyla, of small extent, and inhabited perhaps by a few 

 hundred birds, as described in ' The Zoologist' for May last. It 

 seems to be at no time common on our coast. 



