WINTER NOTES FROM LLEYN. 105 



Cormorant. — Much less commonly seen than in summer. One 

 on Afon Wen mere ; a few seen along the coast (five flying 

 together once), and two or three flying over the sea below the 

 Bird Eock. 



Shag.— Seldom seen ; only on three occasions. Two or three 

 flying over the sea below the Bird Bock. One in the harbour 

 threw a flat fish, nearly as big as an afternoon tea-plate, into the 

 air ; too big, indeed, for this voracious bird, which rose and flew 

 away, in disgust, I suppose. 



Black-headed Gull. — Very numerous in the harbour, some 

 of the grass -marshes, and the arable land where ploughing was 

 going on ; indeed, they were seen commonly on most of the low 

 ground except the seashore proper, where they were met with 

 much less frequently. The "pwll," or harbour, was generally 

 full of them, their harsh Crow-like "kare," " kah " or " kahr " 

 being constantly heard, and contrasting with the squeaky 

 " skeeee " of the Common Gull. There was usually a flock 

 about the grass-fields, and the edges of the fresh-water pools 

 inside the dam at Pwllheli, and I could generally see from my 

 bedroom window a little flock about the cabbage-gardens. Gulls 

 fly all over the far end of Lleyn — and, indeed, most other parts 

 of it — quite freely. The Herring-Gull and this species are the 

 commonest inland. By far the larger number of the birds in the 

 "pwll" were adult, but there were a few quite young birds about. 

 Some had perceptibly dark hoods by Jan. 31st, and I saw one 

 with it nearly complete on that date, and others a few days later. 



Common Gull. — Fairly common about the harbour, and a few 

 offshore and inland ; and most of the birds in a great gathering 

 of Gulls on the sands east of Abersoch on the 3rd appeared to 

 be of this species. 



Herring-Gull. — The adults of this species appear to frequent 

 their summer quarters at this season more than other Gulls. 

 On the 3rd I noticed them sitting about the cliffs, but of course 

 in smaller numbers than in summer, and there were none actually 

 on the Bird Piock. They feed inland a great deal. The young 

 birds were seen at Pwllheli and along the flat shore much more 

 commonly than the adults. But I was surprised at the small 

 proportion of immature Gulls of any species which I saw, and 

 it was evident that the bulk of the young birds had gone else- 



