Seaside Bird- Life in August 143 



with black and white plumage and orange-coloured bill and 

 pink legs. The birds most popularly associated with the 

 seaside are, however, the Gulls ; but even these are local 

 during summer, resorting to scattered breeding stations that 

 have been so used for time out of mind. By August, family 

 duties are nearly over, and the Gulls then become much more 

 widely dispersed. The most ubiquitous British species is un- 

 doubtedly the Herring Gull. 1 It may readily be identified 

 when adult by its large size and pale grey mantle. The 

 Lesser Black-backed Gull 2 is about the same size, but when 

 adult has a dark slate-grey mantle. It is also much more 

 local, not nesting anywhere east of Cornwall or south of the 

 Fame Islands. In August it begins to spread along the coast 

 into less rock-bound districts. Then there is the misnamed 

 "Common" Gull, 3 about half the size of the last-named 

 species, and with a similarly dark mantle ; but it breeds 

 nowhere in England now, and only visits that part of the 

 kingdom during autumn and winter. The Kittiwake 4 also 

 affects rocky coasts only during the nesting season, and is 

 consequently a local bird ; but in autumn it wanders far and 

 wide, and for the remainder of the year is one of the most 

 widely dispersed of British Gulls. It somewhat resembles 

 the Common Gull, but has a paler mantle and dark legs and 

 feet. Lastly, we may mention the Black-headed Gull, 5 the 

 smallest of the strictly British species, which is characterised 

 by its sooty-brown hood. This peculiarity is, however, lost 

 in August, not to be reassumed until early in the following 

 year. Apart from its small size this Gull may be easily 

 recognised by its red bill and legs. Not including the Great 

 Black-backed Gull, 6 which is too local to be considered in the 

 present article, all the five species here enumerated may be 

 looked for with tolerable certainty on all parts of the coast 

 during August. Many young Gulls of these species will also 



2 Larus fuscus. 



fl Larus ridibundus . 



3 Larus canus. 

 6 Larus marinus. 



