BIRDS 433 



He discovered in 1890 that a single pair were nesting upon an 

 island in a small tarn in the same neighbourhood. He swam 

 to the nest, which contained two eggs, one of which he took. 

 The female continued to incubate the second egg, from which 

 a fine young bird was eventually brought off. On one occasion 

 when Mr. Archibald was visiting the colony of Lesser Black- 

 backed Gulls at Roudsea, the clamour of these birds induced 

 their larger relatives to descend from the hill and unite their 

 cries to the prevailing babel. 



Dr. Stanley stated in 1829 that some Great Black-backed 

 Gulls nested on the margin of Devoke Water. 1 There can be 

 no doubt that the birds of this colony, locally recognised as 

 ' Devoke Water Maws,' bred in that district for a known period 

 of half a century. Some fifteen years subsequent to Dr. Stanley's 

 note, it occurred to T. C. Heysham that he might obtain eggs 

 from this quarter. He applied for them to Mr. Isaac Hodgson 

 of Corney, who wrote to him under date of May 8, 1844 : ' I 

 went yesterday to Devoke Lake, and found eight nests, each 

 having three eggs. I brought away six, but unfortunately 

 broke three of them in returning home. I found not the 

 slightest difference in colour except in one egg, which was 

 nearly white, and which I have sent.' Heysham applied again 

 for eggs, and Mr. Hodgson wrote to him under date of June 

 26, 1845 : 'When I sent you the eggs last year I got them on 

 the 14th of May; the young birds are now nearly half grown.' 

 On the 29 th of April 1846 Mr. Hodgson reported: ' In 

 obedience to your request I went yesterday to Devoke Lake, 

 and am sorry to say that in some degree I shall disappoint you. 

 I found only eight eggs on the island, all of which I have sent 

 you. The varieties in colour, therefore, was not at my disposal. 

 Indeed they seldom vary, excepting occasionally one more 

 lightly dotted with the dark spots. Mr. Stanley had been up 

 two days previously, and had taken away ten, and the number 

 of pairs will not be more than fourteen.' This colony appears 

 to have become extinct towards the end of the seventies. A 

 farmer, who had known it intimately, volunteered the informa- 

 tion that the breeding birds departed ' strangely and suddenly ' 

 1 Magazine of Nat. Hist. 1829, p. 276. 

 2 E 



