brown hood in summer is easily_recognised and well-known. -
I t frequents all parts of the coast during winter,- but beiqg
decidedly a marsh breeder, assembles in great numbers early
in spring, year after year, constantly, at various favourable
localities for--the purpose of incubation. These birds are
abundant at the mouth of the Thames, both in Kentrand in
HEssex',- but the most, so in the latter,.4^ui$y> breeding fyy
hundreds an some of the low flat islands on the coast, and in
the marshes of the interior.
A breeding station in Norfolk, at a place called Sepulion
Mere, where-Sir Thomas BrowneLpys thi&^bWes bred constantly
in his time, three hundced^dars.ago, is thus described
by the authors of the catalogue of Nj#f©lk and 'Suffolk Birds.
“ Near thercentre-of the.county of Norfolk,^t the distance
of about twenty-five miles from'the sea, and'two from' Hiij§jk
ham,,issa large piece of water called ’Seoul ton Mere. Ifl-^we
middle of this m'ere'there;;is _a2 bpggy^lan^of^e^nty-acjes
extent, covered with reeds, and on which there are <sp|i|e
birch and-willow trees. There is*no river cqmmun§|ating
between the mere and the sea. This mere has from time
immemorial Feen. a favourite OheedlhgMspot of t l l | Brown-
headed,Gull. These' birds- begin'i^-^nake the j i t appearance,
at Scoulton about the middle of- F ebrua ryand by ;thc ’end
of the- first week, in March the great body of .them have
always arrived. They spread themselves'over the neighbouring
country to the distance^of several mil^sdmsearch of food,
following the plough as regularly as Rooks; and,, from fhe
great quantity of worms and grubs which they devour, they
render essential service to the farmer. I f the spring is rfriicl,
the Gulls begin to lay about the 'middle of A p ril; |||i t . the
month of May- i's the'1 time at which thn eggs' a're found in the
g r ea te st abundance. At this season a man and.three boyse
find constant employment in collecting them, and they have
sometimes gathered upwards of a thousand in a day. These;
eggs are sold on the spot at the rate of fourpence a score,
and are-regularly sen^ in considerable quantities to the markets
at Norwich and Lynn. They are eaten cold, like Lap-
wing!^£^|s, "and? also used for culinary purposes; but they
are rather«''of an inferior quality, and somewhat like ducks’
eggs in flavour. The person who sells .these eggs gives
fifteen pounds a year-for-the privilege of collecting them.
This fepeci-es’’of-4 Gull never lays more than three eggs the first
ltimc~'§Ejflhit, if thieve} arc ’hlkerr, it_will lay again. We found
many of the old birds siiri'h-g in the middleMf Ju n e ; most of
thehe -had only one?,fegg;in the nest, but-a. few of them had
Thefe^-nfe^ts’iN© made^f the tops of reeds and sedge,
and'dre very flat at the surface. The eggs vary so much in
^ze^wshap'e,. and colon»,-that-a person not well acquainted
with theMiwould suppose some of them tedkelong to a dif-
ferentt^eei'e^^ibird.."'Some-are thickly covered with dusky
|p:©ts, andJ others-are of a light blue colour without any spots
at-all. Tha young birdspleave the nest as soon as hatched,
anffrtak^®» the Water; When they can fly well the old ohes
depart with them, ands-disperse’ therdsel'ves on the sea coast,
where'tkeyflare found during the'autumn and winter. By
the^m-iddle ‘ofiJulyHhey all leave Scoulton, and are not seen
there again tillS/tbe* following “spring. We were a little surprised
aitffeeibg some-ef thesb Gulls alight and sit upon some
low<bushy willows whiclkgrow on fhe island. No other than
th^feroiwn-headed Gull breeds at this ndere^ a few of them
also breed in 'many of the marshes-.iie^^uofas'. to the sea-
coast of Norfolk.” -
^Gharles'Andersonj, Esq., sent me notice of another breeding
place in Lincolnshire, frequented annually by many hundreds'of
this species? This is at Twigmopr, near Brigg—an
effete- belonging to. Sir John Nelthorpe, of Scawby. I t consists
chiefly b f warren ground, partly covered with heather,
dwarf shrubs,^ahd birch trees? In the centre of this is a It! 11