374 
LARIM. 
While spending nearly a week at this lake in 1846 (in 
company with the distinguished entomologist A. H. Haliday, Esq.) 
I saw these gulls to great advantage. Erom the sandy beach at 
Shanescastle Park, on the 1st of August, a “ play ” of them 
was witnessed, just as we observe that of herring or other gulls 
at sea, and the birds in similar numbers ; — after they alighted on 
the water, I reckoned about 120 together. When in a body, and 
also singly, they uttered a loud cackling laughing cry. Some were 
adult, but by far the greater number immature : fine old birds 
singly as well as in pairs came majestically sailing above the lofty 
tree-tops towards the lake. Near Toome, on the following day, 
they covered over the sands in numbers, such as we see other 
gulls do on the sea-shore; there were about three hundred in 
company; many curlews and eight or ten herons were beside 
them, imparting quite a marine aspect to the scene. 
Leaving Ballinderry (county Derry) on the 5th of August, in a 
boat, for Bands Island, we saw a great number of these gulls 
assembled along the margin of a small islet near the place of 
our embarkation, as we did again about the rocks off Bands 
Island ; not less than one hundred and fifty in each place. We 
were told that not a pair bred at the latter locality, this year, 
on account of their place of nidification being inundated : the 
keeper said that probably not less than two hundred pair bred 
here last year. This will account for the numbers of these birds 
which appeared about the lake, where they and the black-headed 
were the only species I was sure of seeing on this occasion. In 
crossing the lake to-day, we took eleven pollans, all but one of 
full size, floating on the surface alive, but with wounds in their 
bodies, which the boatmen said were made by these gulls. Seeing 
one of them and a pollan floating before it, we rowed up in the 
hope of having proof of the evil-doer ; but in this instance the 
fish had been injured in a net. The holes appear as if made by 
the gulls - ’ beaks, and any part of the fish is evidently struck at 
random. There is a common accusation at this lake against 
lampreys — I know not how true — for “ making holes” in the 
bodies of various species of fish and destroying them. 
