visiter to the most northern of the Shetland Isles, by Lawrence
Edmondston, Esq., who obtained young< and old birds
of both the species of.White-winged Gulls included in this
work. This Glaucous Gull was first named and described: by
Brunnich, in his O r n it h o l o g ia B o r e a l is , published, in
1764-; the,'bird ids© inhabits Iceland, and dsl included by
Faber in his Ornithology of that island.
Mr. Edmondston' thus describes the habits of -this Gull as
observed by himself. ' “ This speciesb is.Jinever' « known to
breed in Shetland. I t arrives. in that bountry abouf tie
middle of autumn, and leaves it towards the endr qj|f springs
and this migration appears to be compldM^ generalyatleast-
I do not remember having seënTme during’tie whole sum--
mer season. In this respect it totally differs'from all t in
species of7 known Gull, fo, which,- on a superficial vjpwf.'it
might be supposed- to' approximate .vf Its favourite; lesorls ar'e
the entrances of the more *espösed^ys a few
miles off the land, where it is often ■ found* assiduously attending
the fishing-boats, to qpick up any 'offals, that, may-c^'
thrown overboard ;-and' iffisroftenffakem&y a, life and hook
baited with' fish, when, engaged im4his',pursuit^
and voracious to a proverb“; and, when- allured by?ca#rioii;f
which seems, to be its favourite dbodfTbopomes5 comparatively
indifferent to danger. It then quits the ocean and- the headlands,
enters the ba^S, and boldlyjfentiires inland. Generally
speaking it is rare; and I have hardly above once seen
ffifljgf than three or four individuals at one time.?Occasion-/
ally a sitigle.bird may be met with, attending-a large flock of
its congeners, and feeding along with ..them. Upon llie-e!
occasions its peculiarity of 'appearance very striking:< Its
usual deportment is grave and silent, -exhibiting little of the
characteristic vivacity-ór inquisitiveness of many of its tribe,
and it is. roused to exertion. chiefly, b y aü sense of danger? or
the cravings of hunger. WhenTit. flies,- it extends its wings
more, and its flight is also more buoyant than that of the
other species of Gulf; and, when not in quest of food, it is
of a reservfeefe disposition, seldom coming within the range of
a fowling-piece, Tbii-t soars at a respectful distance, uttering,
at intervals, a hoarse scream, of a sound quite peculiar to
itself. I t exhibits none of that remarkable instinct so predominant
in many o f' the larger species of the genus, which
prompts them -frequently, at the hazard of their own lives, to
waru>(rtb.er animals- of the-vicinity of the sportsman; but
when-once alarmed; it "commonly flies off. In the month of
November, LS&Oyl observed, a flock of"upwards of a hundred
ofHjns spebi'es’ in the Bay-’u f Balta Sound, in Shetland.
They remained there .for two Oil three weeks, going out to
seay in. search of'foOd, regularly, at a particular period of the
tide, and returning tO' rest for some time in the Bay. s During
this time I had amfle opportunity-of observing their appearf
;ance and habits, and bfbcbmpletely confirming all, the views
I had previously ' entertained concerning them.; - It is in
Unst, the most northerly island of the groupy that I have
found it-mostf frequen tly,faiid where it "is chiefly known. It
us-there/thatT have‘.observed] it first to arrive, and this most
'generally occurred when the wind was favourable from the
Arctic regionsl’lckj
Mr. Thompson says Lavus glaucus is of occasional occurrence?^^
« every quarter of the coast of Ireland. ? The fine
"speeimen from which:“,7our illustratioil was« taken was shot by
Franeisl Edwards, E sq ^ of Bristol, in the winter of 1840,
on the Severn.- - Specimens have been obtained in Cornwall
and - Devonshire: Mr. Bullock, in his London Collection,
exhibited various specimens, some of which were sent to him
jhy Mr. L . Edmondston; one was killed bn Loch Lomond,
and-ones oh the coast of Northumberland, where* Mr. Selby
observes other examples, old and young; have occurred. Mr.
Bartlett obtained an immature specimen in the London mar