THE COMMON GULL. 
349 
accessible from above or below ; and when disturbed the birds 
would soar away at such a distance as to be free and undisturbed 
by any intruder.” * On the peninsula of the Horn, to the 
westward of Horn Head, we on the 25th of June, 1832, shot three 
of these gulls, which came flying up from the precipitous cliffs, 
where they probably had their nests. They were in adult plu- 
mage, and had brilliant yellow legs. The species is known to 
Mr. J. Y. Stewart, as breeding there apart from other gulls, on the 
lofty cliffs, where he has shot them on their nests ; — they select 
places for nidification like the herring-gull. On the 1st of 
August, 1850, about eighty old birds, and as many young of the 
year, were seen together at one part of the rocks of the Horn.t 
Mr. T. Neligan informed me, in 1837, that the common gull 
breeds in numbers on a low grassy islet off the Kerry coast, where 
he had himself seen their nests : this was their only breeding-place 
known to him in that quarter, though he considered the species to 
be common there. The locality was not named, but one of the 
Magharee islands, in Tralee Bay, was perhaps meant, as it is the 
only breeding-haunt known on the coast to Mr. R. Chute. 
This gull is noticed by my correspondents as common on the whole 
southern and eastern coast; but with respect to its breeding- 
places, they are silent. 
Mr. W. M'Calla, on communicating to me a list of the gulls 
frequenting Roundstone Bay, county of Galway, and enumerating 
five species, did not include this ; but, on being questioned, re- 
marked that “ gulls with green legs were plentiful,” by which de- 
scription this species— in winter garb — must be meant. 
A very small number only of the Lams canus on our shores in 
autumn and winter, can be bred in Ireland : they must come 
from more northern breeding-haunts. Referring to Temminck, 
I was much pleased to find him remark that this gull, though very 
common in winter on all the coasts of Holland and Trance, is in 
summer found towards and within the arctic circle (vol. ii. p. 774). 
The herring-gull, on the other hand, is mentioned by this author 
(p. 766) as remaining during the year on the coasts of Holland 
* Dr. J. D. Marshall. t Mr. Robert Taylor. 
