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LAUGHING GULL. 
have never seen one with a black head at that season. They appear 
in g-reat 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 legs 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 History 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. He 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 fly ; 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 
