HERRING GULL. 
305 
haps more local, scarcely so abundant as the last, 
and by Mr. Selby is considered comparatively more 
rare on the Northumbrian coast, being there sup- 
planted by the lesser black-backed species. Further 
up the Firth it is not uncommon, and a large colony 
breeds on and seems to have taken possession for 
themselves of a precipitous cliff on the east side of 
tho Puffin Island, off North Berwick Harbour. 
We are aware also of other parties breeding on 
similar situations on the Solway, accompanied, as 
we mentioned, with the preceding bird, and we be- 
lieve that marshy situations or islands on fresh- water 
lochs are never selected for this purpose. On the 
Continent it ranges from the coasts of France to 
those of Italy ; out of Europe, it is said to be found 
at Madeira* and in Asia Minor. + Audubon found 
the Herring Gull distributed in America from the 
Gulf of Mexico to Labrador, and describes the man- 
ners of a colony which he found on Whitehead 
Island in the Bay of Fundy. The Gulls here were 
breeding on the pine trees, some forty feet from the 
ground, others with the nest only seven or eight, 
and placed close to the bole of the tree; others, 
again, (what he considered to be the younger birds), 
made the nest on the ground. Mr. Frankland re- 
collected when the birds commenced to select the 
trees, for they all previously built on the ground ; 
and considered that it was an instinctive care that 
had induced them to breed out of reach, from the 
nests on the ground being constantly robbed. 
* Dr. Henniken. + Mr. Strickland. 
U 
