128 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



Dunlin, ten Whimbrel, three Lesser Tern, and a Garganey Teal 

 reported to Mr. Bird. 



6th. — A Black-headed Gull seen to swoop on a very young 

 Moorhen and carry it off, as it was following its parent yesterday 

 across the Bure (W. Nicholson). Weather very cold, with rain. 

 7th. — Nidification of the Black-headed Gull. — I generally try 

 to get in a visit to Scoulton Gullery about this, time of the year, 

 though it is not the wonderful sight it used to be. The mere has 

 suffered from scarcity of rain-water and snow to fill it, and so 

 many young have died from the drought — especially in the sum- 

 mer of 1901 — that the owner, Mr. Weyland, took the wise pre- 

 caution of limiting the take of eggs in 1902 to one thousand, and 

 the keeper said he did not think that number had been gathered. 

 This is very different from the palmy days of the settlement, 

 when 15,000 or 20,000 eggs could be taken, and no harm done. 

 As long as I have known it, the breeding-ground has been at the 

 north-west end of the island, or " hearth," as it is sometimes 

 called, and this portion has no doubt been selected by the Gulls 

 as being the most boggy, and consequently the safest part. It 

 is now little over half an acre in extent, but on this limited 

 superficies the nests are packed thickly. They are rather coarsely 

 put together, made of " gladden" rushes and " bolder " reed, and 

 some smaller materials, and while some of them are quite a bright 

 green, here and there is one which is brown, being made of last 

 year's reeds. Where the nests are, nothing grows; there are 

 no bushes of sweet-gale, and the herbage is quite sear. 



The Black-headed Gulls commence laying in April, and a 

 very interesting sight it is to see the nests with their three hand- 

 some eggs, though at neither Scoulton nor Hoveton are you 

 allowed to gather them. Incubation lasts twenty-three days 

 (Evans's table), and as soon as an egg begins to chip a noisy 

 youngster can be heard proclaiming itself inside, which before 

 very long takes to the water. The nestling can see directly it 

 is hatched ; in fact, its eyes are wide open before it has struggled 

 clear of its shell, and equally is the power of swimming born with 

 it. I found it hopeless to try any sort of counting, but I esti- 

 mated that there must be still at least one thousand Gulls at 

 Scoulton. When a loud shout makes them all rise in the air, 

 the noise of their cries is something quite tumultuous — not one 



