KIDD'S OWN JOURNAL. 



93 



Donaldson, Esq., and forms part of a curious 

 article on 



THE HERRING GULL. 



In the month of June, says the writer, a few 

 years age, when on a visit to Ailsa Craig, in the 

 Frith of Clyde, a very young specimen of this bird 

 was taken from a nest by my friend, Mr. Kemp, 

 who accompanied me on that occasion. He 

 shortly afterwards put it into his garden, in the 

 neighborhood of the city, where it was for some 

 time unable to provide for itself, during which he 

 fed it upon various articles of a domestic nature, 

 such as broken bread, potatoes, etc. In the course 

 of a month afterwards, he was relieved of all his 

 attentions by " Snow," as I named him, foraging 

 for himself amongst the bushes and vegetables, 

 where he fed on various caterpillars, slugs, flies, 

 and beetles. He was constant in his attendance 

 on Mr. Kemp while engaged in digging and trans- 

 planting, and never failed to pick up every creep- 

 ing thing which was turned up during the 

 operation. He was particularly shy while 

 strangers were present, and never in one instance 

 would permit any familiarity, excepting with a 

 small rough Scotch Terrier belonging to this gen- 

 tleman, to which he was particularly attached ; 

 for after pulling her by the tail (which she never 

 appeared to relish), he would make up the matter 

 by picking from off her rough mouth any particles 

 of food which he found adhering there. He was 

 exceedingly playful, and appeared to enjoy him- 

 self amazingly by throwing up into the air any 

 small bones or pieces of wood which he hail fallen 

 in with, and always exhibited the greatest terror 

 of either them, or any other object coming in con- 

 tact with his legs. 



At the end of twelve months, his plumage cor- 

 responded with that of other young birds, and 

 when he was two years old, the change was very 

 trifling. At this period, however, he acquired a 

 taste for sparrows ; and scarcely a day passed 

 on which he did not regale himself with four or 

 five of them. His system of catching them was 

 this : — He was upon the best terms with a 

 number of pigeons which this gentleman had ; and 

 as the sparrows fed along with them, he mixed in 

 the group, and by stooping assumed as much as 

 possible their appearance, and then set at the 

 sparrow as a pointer dog would do his game ; the 

 next instant he had his prey by the back, and 

 swallowed it without giving it time to shut its 

 eyes. The sporting season began with him about 

 the middle of July, as the young birds were leaving 

 their nests ; and as numbers of them were pro- 

 duced in Mr. Kemp's garden, and others came to 

 practise there, they found it very slippery ground, 

 for the enemy was upon them in a moment. 



At the expiration of three years, his plumage 

 was assuming a lighter shade, although the grey 

 feathers on the under part of his body were quite 

 apparent. He pursued his old system of snatching 

 and swallowing with great success ; and arrived 

 at so much perfection in the art, that he caught 

 his prey often while flying past, and occasionally 

 sprang from the ground, and struck a bird down 

 with his wing, which he had no difficulty in after- 

 wards capturing. 



On one occasion, while standing near a pump 

 well in the garden, he pounced upon a rat, which 



had come there for the purpose of drinking ; it 

 squeaked on being caught, and Mr. Kemp, who 

 was standing close by, looked immediately around, 

 and had scarcely time to see it suddenly disappear 

 head foremost — a rule which he strictly observed, 

 with both the living and the dead. How many 

 thrushes, finches, and wagtails I supplied him 

 with ! Mr. Kemp has little doubt that many rats 

 were surprised in the same manner, as he fre- 

 quently observed " Snow " sneaking 'about the 

 well. 



His appearance during the act of running down 

 the young birds amongst the bushes, was very 

 animated : his neck was extended, his eye 

 sparkled, and his body appeared compressed to 

 half its usual size, which rendered his expression 

 very different from the dozy-\ike appearance which 

 he assumed while watching rats and old sparrows. 



At the end of the fourth year, he appeared to 

 have completed his Toilet ; and although his 

 garments at that time did not exhibit the hue 

 which the deep blue sea imparts to them, still his 

 appearance was very creditable, considering the 

 narrow bounds to which he was restricted. 



In the preceding remarks, I have confined my- 

 self entirely to his habits while in confinement ; 

 for I presume his habits naturally are sufficiently 

 known. Independent of his love for fish, he is a 

 good judge of fowl, and much amusement I have 

 had by witnessing him struggling through a 

 legion of clamorous kittiwakes, stationed along 

 the front of a precipice, which appeared to be 

 taking satisfaction on him for having eaten up 

 some of their families. 



This is quite a common occurrence, and I have 

 little doubt that, when opportunity occurs, his 

 young are for some time principally supported at 

 the expense of this harmless and interesting com- 

 munity ; for the young of both are produced about 

 the same period. I think we are quite entitled to 

 suppose that, from the great length of time which 

 this- bird takes to arrive at maturity, he is long- 

 lived ; although I am not aware that he has ever 

 been allowed a place amongst the patriarchal races 

 of swans, eagles, ravens, and pelicans, the ages 

 of which are recorded from one hundred up to 

 three hundred years ; and I am inclined to think 

 that if " Snow " had not been unfortunately killed 

 at the end of his sixth year, he might have lived 

 to the age of " Ole Uncle Ned ! " 



I have been informed that the habits of 

 (Larus fuscus), the Lesser Black-backed Gull, 

 are equally rapacious ; but never having seen 

 him, I feel inclined to give him the benefit of any 

 doubt. As far as my experience goes, however, 

 I am bound to acknowledge the Blue-back {L. 

 Argentatas) a most distinguished cannibal, and 

 superior to any other class amongst the fowls of 

 the air. He gives no quarter, and consumes the 

 unfortunate slowly within his interior — just as 

 the court of chancery does with a great estate. 

 This gull arrives at Ailsa Craig early in April, 

 lays three eggs about the middle of May, and the 

 young take wing about the 20th of July ; there is 

 little difference in coloring or size between the 

 eggs of this bird and those of the Lesser Black- 

 back, and if any does exist, it is in those of the 

 latter being occasionally found a shade darker. 



As the nidification of birds has of late created 

 some little attention, it affords me an opportunity 



