THE COMMON AMERICAN GULL. 37 
the reach of the gun. While in our harbours or rivers it sails at a moderate 
height, sometimes mingling with the silvery Gull, or even with the Great 
Black-backed. Its movements are graceful and easy, and it floats as it were 
in the air, whether proceeding in a direct line, or in irregular curves, when, 
suddenly checking its speed, it partially closes its wings, and descends with 
rapidity in a spiral manner. As it approaches the water, it allows its legs 
to hang, opens its bill, and while seizing its food, raises its wings erect and 
flaps them quickly to support its body. Now with loaded bill it sweeps off 
to some distance, alights, and devours its prey. 
When in pursuit of a shoal of small fish, it assembles in flocks, keeps up 
a constant yelping noise, dips every instant among the fry, and continues to 
feed until so gorged as to be unable to fly. Alighting in groups, they float 
with great buoyancy, and it is pleasant to see them rising and falling alter- 
nately on the waves of a moderately agitated sea, the snowy whiteness of 
their under parts contrasting with the deep green water, and their elongated 
wings extending beyond the tail, giving the appearance of lightness and 
agility to. their form. 
The flight of this species is light and long sustained, and the circumstance 
of birds of this genus being able to find food almost anywhere, induces them 
at times to proceed far out to sea ; and I have now and then been gratified by 
the sudden appearance of several birds of the present species to the lee of 
the ship, on whose deck I was with impatience watching for the sight of 
land. The winged pilgrims would no sooner come up than they also would 
express their pleasure by their cries, especially when they received from 
the passengers bits of bread or such garbage as might be at hand. Once 
fed, they would fly about us the whole day, and sometimes would be seen 
the next ; and then perhaps all at once, as if made aware of the existence 
of land in a particular direction, they would fly off, and we would see no 
more of them. 
When spring has fairly commenced, our Common Gulls assemble in parties 
of hundreds, and alight on mud flats or sandy beaches, in our eastern estuaries 
and bays. For awhile they regularly resort to these places, which to the 
Gulls are what the scratching or tooting grounds are to the Pinnated Grouse. 
The male Gulls, however, although somewhat pugnacious, are not very 
inveterate in their quarrels, making up by clamour for the deficiency of 
prowess in their tournaments. The males bow to the females with swollen 
throats, and walk round them with many odd gesticulations. As soon as 
the birds are paired, they give up their animosities, and for the rest of the 
season live together on the best terms. After a few weeks spent in these 
preparatory pleasures, the flocks take to wing, and betake themselves to 
their breeding places. 
