154 THE COMMON AMERICAN GULL. 



the reach of the gun. While in our harbours or rivers it sails at a moderate 

 height, sometimes mingling with the Silvery Gull, or even with the Great 

 Black-backed. Its movements are graceful and easy, and it floats as it were 

 in the air, whether proceeding in a direct line, or in irregular curves, when, 

 suddenly checking its speed, it partially closes its wings, and descends with 

 rapidity in a spiral manner. As it approaches the water, it allows its legs 

 to hang, opens its bill, and while seizing its food, raises its wings erect and 

 flaps them quickly to support its body. Now with loaded bill it sweeps off 

 to some distance, alights, and devours its prey. 



When in pursuit of a shoal of small fish, it assembles in flocks, keeps up 

 a constant yelping noise, dips every instant among the fry, and continues to 

 feed until so gorged as to be unable to fly. Alighting in groups, they float 

 with great buoyancy, and it is pleasant to see them rising and falling alter- 

 nately on the waves of a moderately agitated sea, the snowy whiteness of 

 their under parts contrasting with the deep green water, and their elongated 

 wings extending beyond the tail, giving the appearance of lightness and 

 agility to their form. 



The flight of this species is light and long sustained, and the circumstance 

 of birds of this genus being able to find food almost anywhere, induces them 

 at times to proceed far out to sea; and I have now and then been gratified by 

 the sudden appearance of several birds of the present species to the lee of 

 the ship, on whose deck I was with impatience watching for the sight of 

 land. The winged pilgrims would no sooner come up than they also would 

 express their pleasure by their cries, especially when they received from the 

 passengers bits of bread or such garbage as might be at hand. Once fed, 

 they would fly about us the whole day, and sometimes would be seen the 

 next; and then perhaps all at once, as if made aware of the existence of land 

 in a particular direction, they would fly off, and we would see no more of 

 them. 



When spring has fairly commenced, our Common Gulls assemble in parties 

 of hundreds, and alight on mud flats or sandy beaches, in our eastern estuaries 

 and bays. For awhile they regularly resort to these- places, which to the 

 Gulls are what the scratching; or tooting grounds are to the Pinnated Grouse. 

 The male Gulls, however, although somewhat pugnacious, are not very 

 inveterate in their quarrels, making up by clamour for the deficiency of 

 prowess in their tournaments. The males bow to the females with swollen 

 throats, and walk round them with many odd gesticulations. As soon as 

 the birds are paired, they give up their animosities, and for the rest of the 

 season live together on the best terms. After a few weeks spent in these 

 preparatory pleasures, the flocks take to wing, and betake themselves to 

 their breeding places. 



