ON SOME GULLS OBSERVED IN IRELAND. 25 



by the side of the road in which a man was ploughing, I was 

 surprised at seeing an Iceland Gull along with some young 

 Herring Gulls following the ploughman, feeding on the grubs 

 and worms turned up. It was the first instance I have known 

 of an Iceland Gull met in summer. 



1902. — On January 29th either a young Iceland or Glaucous 

 Gull, with a young Great Black-backed, was seen on the water 

 near Killanly Marsh (not identified). 



1905. — I omitted, by an oversight, to enter the exact date 

 on which I walked to Enniscrone, after a heavy gale had been 

 blowing, to see what birds had been driven into shelter. On 

 reaching the sands I saw a large number of Herring Gulls, 

 very noisy, hovering over a little sheltered bay near the Bath 

 House. After watching them for some time, I recognised three 

 Iceland Gulls in the crowd, so running down to the edge of the 

 water I waited, closely watching the clamorous birds as they 

 circled round, until one of the Iceland Gulls came within range, 

 when I brought it down with an Eley's wire cartridge— a fine 

 bird in the second year's plumage. I then reloaded, but having 

 had only the one wire cartridge, I was obliged to use No. 5 

 shot; when a second bird came near I fired, but only slightly 

 wounded it, and it flew away down the shore, the No. 5 shot 

 being too light to act effectively on the thick coat of feathers on 

 these Arctic Gulls. Although I waited for over an hour, the 

 third bird gave me no chance of a shot. 



On April 26th, I was walking along the Moy View shore with 

 my dogs, and when 1 got to the point I saw at the other side of 

 it, resting on the water, a young Herring Gull, and what I first 

 thought was an Ivory Gull, on account of its white colour. 

 I immediately returned, put up my dogs, got out my punt and 

 paddling round the point, found that the Gulls had moved 

 farther off. I moved on slowly and quietly, and getting within 

 range, knocked over the White Gull, which, instead of being an 

 Ivory, proved to be an Iceland Gull in the white stage, assumed 

 both by Glaucous and Iceland Gulls the summer before the 

 autumn moult, when they take on the adult plumage. 



1906. — On December 10th as I was putting out my punt for 

 a day's shooting, a fine Iceland Gull passed close by, flying 

 round the point. 



