NOTES AND QUERIES. 193 



possibly have puzzled some naturalist elsewhere. — Jultan G. Tuck (Tostock 

 Rectory, Bury St. Edmunds). 



Iceland Gulls and Wild Swans in the Moy Estuary.— During the 

 past winter Iceland Gulls have again visited the bay and estuary, after an 

 absence of five years, the last having been observed and shot on Nov. 9th, 

 1887 — a young bird in the first year's plumage. On the 9th January last, 

 when walking in one of my fields along the shore, a fine bird of this species, 

 in the creamy white plumage of the second year, flew close past me. It 

 was a very large bird, with such an expanse of wing that at first I thought 

 it was a Glaucous Gull, but afterwards, considering its gliding flight, I 

 concluded it must be an Iceland Gull. The following day I saw what 

 was probably the same bird standing on a rock at low tide near the same 

 place, and this was certainly an Iceland Gull. Agaiu on Feb. 3rd, on the 

 shore at Carrahubbock, a mile north of Enniscrone, where I had gone in 

 search of shells, I observed another bird of this species amongst some 

 Herring Gulls swimming in a rock-pool; and, as Iceland Gulls usually 

 are, it was very tame and unsuspicious, allowing me to approach within 

 forty yards, and examine it with my glass, with which I was able to identify 

 it by comparing its size with that of a young Herring Gull standing 

 near it, and also, by seeing quite distinctly, that the tips of the closed 

 wings extended considerably beyond the tail, — an unfailing mark of distinc- 

 tion between the Iceland and Glaucous Gulls, the wings of the latter bird 

 barely reaching to the end of the tail-feathers. On the 5th, as it was 

 blowing hard from the W.N. W., and far too wild for punt-shooting, I walked 

 to Enniscrone to look out for the Gulls, and as the wind and tide drifted 

 everything into the little bay by the Bath House, a large number of Gulls 

 had collected there, chiefly Herring and Great Black-backs, to feed on the 

 floating refuse, and as there were over a hundred birds crowding the 

 little bay they made a tremendous row, screaming and fighting over the 

 floating food, and in the middle of the crowd of Gulls three Icelanders 

 were easily recognised by their cream-coloured plumage and buoyant, 

 gliding flight. I remained a long time observing them, but was successful 

 in obtaining only one bird, and although I have been for several miles 

 along that part of the coast since, I have been unable to see them again. 

 Having had a fall of snow and seven degrees of frost on the 17th, I got out 

 my punt and gun the following morning, expecting to find a large number 

 of ducks driven out of the bogs by the frost, but was disappointed, seeing 

 only a few pairs scattered about the back channel by Rinroe. However, 

 when I got down as far as Scurmore Icehouse, I saw a few Wigeon feediug 

 in the sea- weed, but they made off long before I got within shooting 

 distance; and a little below them I observed a Duck and two Mallards 

 feeding along the edge of the water, and very quiet, until a Redshank 



ZOOLOGIST. MAY, 1892. Q 



