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LAUGHING GULL. 



have never seen one with a black head at that season. They appear 

 in great abundance in the autumn, on the coast of Caermarthen and 

 Glamorganshire, particularly about the mouths of rivers. At that time 

 the head is white, in some mottled with brown, with a dusky spot 

 behind the ear ; the back and wing- coverts in young- birds, are mottled 

 with brown and white ; the tail crossed with a dusky bar at the end ; 

 the bill and leg's scarcely tinged with red. Towards spring the back 

 begins to assume the ash-colour ; then the wing coverts, and the bill 

 and legs, obtain their proper colour ; the black behind the ears spreads 

 and meets behind, and on lifting up the feathers of the crown about the 

 month of March, the stubs of the black feathers are to be observed. 

 At this time also some few black feathers appear on the throat ; but 

 the perfect black head is not assumed during their stay in those parts. 

 In Devonshire we have seen them complete in feather later in the 

 spring, but have never observed the same appearance in winter. 



The Laughing Gull is said to breed in Lincolnshire in the fens, and 

 in other parts of England, upon the borders of rivers. 



Dr. Plott assures us, in his Llistory of Staffordshire, that in his time 

 these birds annually visited a pool in Staffordshire, in the parish of 

 Norbury, which pool was called Pewit Pool, on account of these birds 

 breeding on the islands. Lie also assures us that they would not breed 

 on any other land than that of the proprietor of the before-mentioned 

 place ; and that on the death of the owner, they deserted the pool for 

 three years, but only retired to another estate belonging to the next 

 heir. 



In these more enlightened times more substantial reasons might be 

 assigned for their leaving their usual breeding place. The Doctor fur- 

 ther states, that they appeared about the latter end of March or begin- 

 ning of April, and retired again before winter. The young birds were 

 accounted good eating, and were taken by driving them into nets before 

 they could ny ; that fifty dozen were taken at a driving, and that five 

 shillings per dozen was the usual price. 



The young were kept alive and fattened on offal. It is also added, 

 that three drivings were generally made in a season ; and that anciently, 

 as many were taken as produced a profit of fifty or sixty pounds. 



No author mentions their being seen in winter, having at that time 

 been made a distinct species under various denominations, particularly 

 that of Red-legged Gull, the synonimes of which we have added to this 

 species. 



It makes a nest on the ground with rushes, dead grass, and such like 

 materials, and lays three eggs, of an olivaceous brown, marked with 



