70 
Common Linnet, which in appearance they closely resemble, though 
there is a great variation in size in the Green Linnet’s eggs, with the 
result that occasionally the sizes overlap — that is, eggs of the Green 
Linnet may be found smaller than eggs of the Common Linnet, and 
identification is impossible without observation of the parent bird. 
Gull, Lesser Black-backed. — This bird, a resident in Britain 
throughout the year, is numerous and w idely distributed along our 
coast-lines. It isa large and handsome bird, white in colour but with, 
as the name denotes, back and wings of blue-black colour, and with 
a large and powerful beak. The young do not become mature until 
their fourth year, and are until then of a dull white colour, speckled 
with grey. The Lesser Black-backed Gull has few, if any good 
qualities, nay, is indeed both thief and murderer. They nest most 
usually in the vicinity of other sea fowl, and are ruthless robbers 
of the eggs and young of such species as Guillemots and Kitti- 
wakes, selecting a moment when the parent bird is absent, to make 
a dash and seize their prey. Their nest is a slight structure of dry' 
grasses, placed upon the green slopes of the cliffs along our coast-line 
and islands, but occasionally they' will select an island on some 
fresh water lake, or even the heather of the open moorland. The 
eggs are three in number, somewhat variable in shade, but usually 
of a greenish stone ground-colour, spotted and blotched with grey 
and black, and are not to be distinguished from those of the 
Herring-Gull, save by identification of the bird as she rises from 
the nest. 
Kestrel. — The Kestrel is the commonest of our British haw ks, and 
is a harmless inoflensive bird, but alas 1 to the indiscriminating eye 
of the game-keeper, a hawk is a hawk, and the mouse-loving 
11 windhover” has oft-times to fall the victim of his gun. The food of 
the Kestrel consists almost entirely of mice and beetles, and it is while 
in pursuit of the former, that it may so frequently be seen hovering 
high in air, there poised for a few seconds absolutely’ motionless, ere 
it darts down to seize the mouse it has been watching. The Kestrel 
is a handsome bird, the general colour above dull chestnut, with a 
black spot in the centre of each feather, in the male bird the head 
and neck are steely’ blue, as is also the tail, the latter being tipped 
with white ; the throat is buff, the breast and undersides reddish 
fawn, streaked with black. In the female the blue of the head 
and tail is absent. The Kestrel is partially migratory’, but is found 
in Britain throughout the year. In the winter it will leave the high 
lands and descend to avail itself of the less severe conditions of the 
lower lying parts. A number migrate to the continent while an 
immigration of a certain number takes place to the British Isles from 
more northern countries. The Kestrel nests in cliffs, old ruins, or 
even in the old and deserted nest of a crow or wood-pigeon. The 
eggs, four, five, or even as many as seven in number, are white in 
ground colour, but often this is so thickly blotched and spotted 
with brownish red as to be barely visible. 
Oyster-catcher. — This bird, known as the Sea Pie or Mussel 
Picker, is a bird of brilliant plumage, and though not uncommon, is 
in only a few localities abundant. It is resident and breeds with 
us, but its numbers are augmented in winter by migrants from 
breeding grounds further north. The length of the Oyster-catcher 
is some 16 inches, the upper parts are of a rich glossy black, con- 
trasting sharply with the white of the lower parts, and giving the 
appearance which has suggested its name of Sea Pie. The 
bill is some three inches in length and of a blight blood red, the 
