342 
LAEID.E. 
sunrise in the early summer, appear to be chiefly attracted by 
the small grey slugs which abound before the dew leaves 
the grass. About noon, after a hard morning’s work in the 
fields, flocks of Herring Gulls visit the fresh-water lochs, 
where they will remain for hours dipping and trimming their 
plumage. 
Like most of its genus, this bird will readily feed on carrion, 
being seldom unrepresented in the motley assemblies which 
may be seen gathered round the carcase of some unlucky pony 
or sheep in winter. At such a time I have seen a mixed 
multitude, numbering nearly two hundred, thus engaged, com- 
prising Greater Black-backed, Glaucous, and Herring Gulls, 
Eavens, Hooded Crows, and a few Starlings, all minor dif- 
ferences being sunk in a hard season. One autumn, a 
Herring Gull took a fancy to paying us a regular visit, for no 
discoverable reason except that it was sharp enough to strike 
out a new Ene of life for itself, in which the maximum of food 
might be got with the minimum of trouble. For some weeks 
it was to be seen at almost all hours of the day, either search- 
ing for scraps upon the dust-heap or sitting, half dozing, upon 
the wall close by. At first very wild when approached, and 
cautious, it soon learned to tolerate me within ten yards, and 
often gave me much amusement by its dexterity at stealing 
piltacks from the row which usually hung near the kitchen 
door. It would sail round for a little, and then make a rapid 
sweep close along the wall, and snatch a fish from the line, and 
go off in triumph. One day, as the tame Crow was endeavour- 
ing to steal a small fish from the cat outside the door, this 
bird was seen to sweep down and carry off the object of the 
contention while the two were quarrelling and scolding. During 
the herring season, it is this species in particular that takes as 
one department of the day’s work the careful examination of the 
herring nets which are spread out to dry, picking off anything 
in the shape of food which may remain in the meshes. It 
wiU also feed upon crabs, star-fish, and echini. 
Herring Gulls have a peculiar mode of following a shoal of 
