350 
LARIDiE. 
practised observers. It is far from being a sby or wary bird, 
often allowing a very near approach. In the course of a 
ramble along-shore I have come upon a fine adult Glaucous 
Gull feeding among the drifted weed, and have seen it merely 
walk into the water and swim about a little until I was past, 
and then wade leisurely ashore and resume its search for food. 
This has occurred to me more than once. Under ordinary 
circumstances, hoAvever, it is not very easy to procure speci- 
mens, for the bhds fly high, as a rule, and are not so inq^uisitive 
as other Gulls, apparently not sharing their wish for a near 
inspection of every visitor who approaches their haunts. The 
best way of seeing these birds is to walk along a lee-shore, in 
the winter time, when it is blowing half a gale. One can 
at such a time scarcely walk a mile without seeing a few of 
them sailing above the breaking waves, in readiness to pick up 
anything in the way of food which may chance to be washing 
about, and the Gulls will then sometimes be so intent upon 
their search as to become almost heedless of danojer. Owinoj 
to the extreme thickness and compactness of the plumage, 
this Gull is seldom killed with any but very heavy shot. 
One which my brother-in-law brought in from Haroldswick was 
fired at four times with aj)parently little effect, and immedi- 
ately after receiving the last charge, it flew for about fifty 
yards, alighted briskly upon a rock, stood firmly for a few 
seconds, and then suddenly fell dead. On examination, I 
found very few wounds, though plenty of broken feathers, and 
discovered that a ISTo. 3 shot had passed through the heart, 
in such a manner as to make an opening little less than 
a line in width, into the left ventricle. 
Of all the Glaucous Gulls I have examined, only one has 
been in poor condition ; usually they are so fat as to cause 
much trouble in skinning, and the fat always smells strongly 
of whale oil. Animal food of any kind is at all times accept- 
al)le to them; but, much to my surprise, I have sometimes found 
the stomach filled with various species of sea- weed, and this 
lias occurred even when whale’s flesh has been abundant. I 
