492 
LAItID.E. 
he has kindly sent me specimens, some of which are one 
third less than those of the usual and natural size. I 
have seen several eggs of this species, which, like those 
of frequent occurrence amongst our domestic poultry, are 
mis-shapen and of very small size. If we adopt the opinion 
of some naturalists, that the ovarium of a bird contains, 
from its first creation, all the eggs which it is destined to 
lay through life, then how soon must these persecuted 
gulls be rendered barren and unproductive, perhaps even 
before they have once had the pleasure of bringing up a 
family of young ones. 
Mr. Newton tells me that this species breeds in several 
places in Norfolk. He has visited the great colony at 
Scoulton Mere, and has sometimes seen the birds perched 
upon the willow branches, “ looking very ill at ease on 
such an insecure resting place. One very venturous pair 
once actually built their nest in one of these bushes, where 
I saw it; and I believe they succeeded in safely hatch¬ 
ing their brood in mid-air, the nest being four or five feet 
from the ground/' 
The Black-headed Gull begins to breed much earlier 
than the other species, and sometimes has eggs at the 
end of April. May is, however, their usual time of incu¬ 
bation ; and during that month I have seen immense 
numbers of their eggs in the Norwich market, whither 
they were sent from Scoulton Mere, where the Messrs 
Paget state that a man and three boys find constant occu¬ 
pation in collecting them, and sometimes gather upwards 
of a thousand in a day. 
The eggs of this species vary in size and colour more 
than those of any other gull; the ground-colour is some¬ 
times of a light blue or yellow, and sometimes green, or 
red, or brown. 
