COMMON GTJLL. 
495 
NAT A TORES. 
LA RIDsE. 
COMMON GULL. 
Larus canus. 
PLATE CXXXVIII. 
This Gull is not nearly so common on the English 
coast as most of the other species. They breed on some 
of the Western Islands, and also, though few in number, 
on many of the smaller grassy islands of Shetland. They 
lay their three eggs sometimes upon the green turf, at 
other times upon the rock. When in the former situa¬ 
tion, the nest is very slight, consisting of a small portion 
of dry grass; on the latter, it is commonly formed of 
a larger quantity of materials,—dry grass, bits of turf, 
and sea-weed. In Norway, this species is so common, 
that the eggs which we selected were chosen from up¬ 
wards of two thousand specimens, which had been ga¬ 
thered by the inhabitants from one island only. They 
were beautifully varied; some with a ground-colour of 
light blue, or straw-colour, others green or brown; some 
a good deal like eggs of the oyster-catcher, others covered 
all over with minute spots. 
