“ In the middle of this mere there is a; boggy island of
seventy acres in extent, covered with reeds, and on which
there are some birch and willow tjees.,L There is no „river
communicating between the mere and the sea. This.mere
has from time immemorial- been a favourite breeding-spot
of the i^rown-headed Gull. These birds begin to make
their appearance at Scoulton about the middle of February;
and by the 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 o f
several miles in search of food, following the plough as
regularly as Rooks; and, from the great quantity rob worms
and grubs:which they;devour, they render,Essential.service
to the farmer. If the spring is mild,, the Gulls begin ©day
about the > middle of April ; but- the* monlh of May: isythe
time at which tbe,.eggs are found in the greater ^abundance.
At this season a man and three boys .-find Constant employment
in collecting them, and they’have aometimes^gathered
upwards of a thousand in ijday. T-hepe-.eggs’^tre [|b'^f-on
the spot at the rate of- fourpenee_a score,,-and; are t^gularly
sent inconsiderable quantiti^ftoCjthe markets’ attNorwich
and Lynn. They are eatep.cqld; like Lapwingsl.^^gg, “and
also used for culinary purposes»; bjikthey are, ra^r^ol^a-nT
inferior quality, and somewhat like Duc^s’^ & i n .fla^tr.
The person who sells these, eg^giyestfifteenipau nd s a^ySar
for, thei privilege of collecting them. This 'species ,of gjuil
never lays -mofothan three IgM- t f a r r s i time.-.
are' taken, -if. will lay again. r.W;eyfound many of the|.-o|d
birds* fitting in the middle* of ;June; most.afAtlplL hadymly
ope- egg in the nest, but a feu^of them^hkd two.^^heir
n^J;S are made of the -tope,.of, reeds and sedge, and a ret very
flat at the surface. The-oggs vary so. much, in size,, shapes
and colour, that • a person , not, well acquainted-, with them
would suppnge ^omm-pf them,to. belong*©',a di£Em!§5 t fpe§i|s
of bird. * -Bpme. are thickly covered with dijhky^spotsy and
others are of a light? blue - q^pur withputfyny ^pnts.^t.^ll.'
The |°dng bii'ds leave the best a l f oon^ as hatched, and da|fe
thl the water. When theyic^a^lly well the ^old olfeir depart
with them, and disperse themselves on the sea-coast, where:
they are found during the autumn and winter. By - the
middle of July they all leave Scoulton, and are not seen ,
there-again till the following spring. We were a little
surprised at- seeing'some of these Gulls alight and sit upon
■„some low bushy willows which grow on the island, ‘d^o;
other than the-Brown-headed Gull breeds at this mere; a
few. of -them also breed in many ©f^the marshes contiguous
do the sea-eoast-of Norfolk.” Scoulton Mere is very shallow,'
the greatest depth being«five feet.
M r ., Stevenson says ft^ fiB y th e 18th o f April .theidi»st*
eggs ;a/re laid, rarely more than three in each nest, and after
the usual gatherings seldom more than two. For the firs t
month two.-men-'are employed tooegli'e'cti three* days ■ a week,
viz., -Mondays-, Wednesdays, and Fridays, picking up every,
fegg.vthey can -find,, and generally, at the rate of from 1,500
toll%000;a d a y ;.b u t when in full laying, ahdsfUft undis-'-
turbed from Friday'© 'Monday, 'between;,8,000 and '4,000
have';.been xta’ken in ®lfe ?day.r din, d h is. manner-' from
16,000 ito a 20,000 reg^s havef-fheenyjohtaihed ini..different)
seasons.” In 1825 they-fetched zfed: a score ? ihvl8©),'
.according to Mr.iS©vensohj they sold -on,the spot at 9d. to.
Is. aiscore.-,:.
d%Th^pres'eh©Sir-:Qharles H. J. Andersoniseut the Author
ho tree :©f anothenbreedingeplace im^CTte^lnshire, frequented
annually by jn:a*ny huridreds of this Speiihso This; is at
Twigmoor/belch Briggr—an ©state now belonging-to- Robert
•: Nassau -sSutt©jf| Esq.-j of ;;Scawb^ - ■ It consists chiefly of
'whrrenigrouffld, partly n0vb©ffes?iith, ■ heather, -dwarf shrubs,
and; bircb-ti-eesdr &fc tMei©entre'’of this is a piece, of.• w-ateb
:^;,abouf-eightphn* acres; the-sidelof which are gre’en swamps,
'■spongy that it Is impossible^ to walk upon them. In
these, swamps the -Bl^ckiheaded Gulls -breed an-great quantify
ties, assembling©. April4laying their eggs amoiigihg rushes
in Alay, a.n"d?/natching^|n .June. * ,The young, till t|by a^e-
able.'tofly, creep about among, the. reeds, of launch-out into*
- the open wateMnrJ h ^ ' if -a[ dog is*l|eht m© the swamp t©
»disturb them.;, the old .bird's sq're.aming, and, aln©s|» darting.