Jan'y 19
(No 3)
  The scow-men had no recollection of any previous
instance of such abstinence or fastidiousness on
the part of the Gulls and were quite at a loss
to account for it. There were birds enough but
nearly all that we saw were resting quietly on the
smooth water or on floating cakes of ice and those
in the air were either soaring idly at a considerable
height or making long straight flights from place
to place. In other words few or none were seeking
food. The character of the day - calm and 
comparatively mild after a long period of severe
cold - had probably much to do with this. 
  Some of the groups on the ice were exceedingly 
beautiful and interesting. It was not uncommon
to see one hundred or more birds huddled close
together; many, evidently asleep, lying prone on
their breasts with heads stretched out flat on the
ice; others standing erect (often on one leg only);
and a few walking about with that absurd, 
mincing gait peculiar to the Herring Gull & a
few other species. The majority of these birds
were Herring Gulls, rather more than half of them young
or immature. Black backed Gulls were very
numerous, also. They mingled freely with the 
Herring Gulls and seemed to be on good terms
with them. I counted 25 Black-backs in full
plumage in one flock and there were many
young, also. It was not easy to separate the 
latter from the young Herring Gulls when the
two were freely intermixed on the ice cakes but
[margin]Gulls on
the ice
Herring Gulls
Black-backs[/margin]