ou the sea-shore, and consists of fish, crustaceans, mollusca,
radiata, and anything cast up by the tide ; and this Gull
has. frequently been seen to carry clams and 'mussels to a
considerable altitude, and let them fall upon the rocks in
order to break the shells and-get at theJ contents. hLike all
the large Gulls, this species is a great robber- ef eggs-/ and
the ledges frequented by Guillemots, Gannets, and other'
seâ-birds, are swept bare on the' first opportunity ; nor-, are
the'nests of grouse, wild-geese, and ducks exempt from: its
depredations.
The Herring Gull has often' bee» known to hreed in captivity;
and a hybrid between it and thes-LfesSer Black-backed-
Gull will be noticed under the .latter, Species.^Itiappea-r sj
to attain a considerable age, for Mr: Ai Bren an of Clottghban,.
Pomeroy, writing in £ Science GosSip,’ 1870 (p^‘338^
says that Miss Ross, of LimaVady, had one then living which
was taken from the nest in 1832,.' ;
• Our Herring Gull is,one -of the'Members of a -grod-p which/
when taken in a /wide- sense, «may he/said to consist *df several
geographical raees; or forms, but inasmuch as distinction's
between;-them, however sndall; canr-faMy; be indicated, it is
convenient to, consider'dhem ashspenies, and ^byj-scirentific
names. ;Thfetr.fspecific 1 characteristics are- a -ligMster/Loi* a
darker, mahtjs'e and pafterfL of.èhl^ùill:feat'Kersi;r:thercolour
of the’legs and feet ; and’that' Of then-ring; outside-the-eye-.-'
There can be littlèrdoubt. that-the intensity *of; coloration^
or« thé - -reÿerse«is to-: some lexteht..- dependent- ^npon climatic
conditions; and Consequently it is inHhe .northern, "portions
% Europe!, t*in -the islands’ ,of- the! Atlantic, and "in §Sbrtb
America, that we frhdtithê i present ispecies,’ as icharaeteïiâed
by a ]3€^e auttifeet, and
the rmy,'outside the'eye. of a 'li^ik^pedtawi Its range may be
defined as|extending-<fa?om~.the Baltic and- the ^arang;ërT'i&’d,i
fifwn th^wes-tern eljagjtebf Europe/, to NoTtb'Africa, Madeira*/
and therGanaries in winter,; an d # therAmcas:,--whereat breeds.
To Greenland if is a ràre .straggler ,vbut aospecimen obtained
by tat^.RepelsqdHay;«Melviiio‘ Peninsula,- is ini the
British;' Museuta; and.,the. fange/ of this - Ipeeisfe-probably
extends across that portion of the .-continent which lies -south
of the -Arctic • circle/foriVdsnesensky obtained it at Kodiak.
Examples from high northern/latitudes have even a somed
what .paler mantle than those- from'fedre temperate regions,
although the transition is very,‘gradual; and this light form
Has received the. name 6fVJ3. ang^ntatoides. From British'
Columbia, to jj Lofper-.'Galifornia our Herring-Gull is replaced
by a very distinct member of the same grofap, L^so&identet/lis,
Audubon, with a mantle dark as that of many examples;
©f the Lessen’ Black-backed IGulf, from .which speeies it may:
Be' distingnishedtiby its" stouter Hill*,.'coarser,' flesh-coloured
feet, and by-the patternjp#-the - primary quills; which is, on
tlie whole,/akih .teh that which -prevails.in the.grey-mantled
division.-- From .Labi’adoi’tmciUfhwards,. the Herring"-Gull
■ -«rebiirsin-’tbe:- Coa^v^laaid^ lakes, and’ large rivers of North
America-/ down to Texa-sftCuba, and the Bermudas,' -an-drit
p rob ably ;cr oksa|& -M&mcb; as examples have been obtained on
the Pacificside- of "Central America, P
i On the more’ sund-it^buthern' coasts-olf Eu-f ope—commence
hag at west’ernf®rahce‘jlAJiitih‘uing ialong-the Iberian'Peninsula,
and. through-out the Medit'erranean^We find a-resident
' lp®©ies//dLh mtMnndns, i JBaffi <(£&:' ImebpWmm,, Lichtenstr)?/
‘ charac£eri#ed/l|y a Sfapkyv * .mantle, yeEp r legs and feet, and
a Mn§ roun dlthe- out si de^ofItfee eye of a deep' otdng&ff^d; But
presenting ,m|iWOKs'tan.ti'dIfferhnilCe'’3;h^th^r*ipa,tfei’n of.ihe pri--
maries. : This .’formM^o^h up-the Black ’Sea, and its breeding-
range:-extends across.'the low-lying salt-lake districts c of
Russia- from itfie mouths of.-tfeAoIga~'and the shores of "thg
GaspMn/-4s far north as^tfhe-iprovince soft Archangel / across-
thh |@Mal -rlveir-and the Kirghis--'steppes,'fd-'the Irtisch and*
Laker -Baikal; andit©f ihe- Asiatic* and Alaskan shores* -of the
\SacatM. .•.Ttim-igr-ateS-fronsthe north imwinter-tbHheocdasts;
of Arahj^; India-,--Qhina, and Japan; and it has been efrone»-
ou«ly id'entMed-WutlMhe.'VehydocaltIi,"o:§clJfe%fn,^S'"'A'Aub^n p
askpeciesi which has never been known <t-o stray from the
Amfricah side of the; North' P’adfic|jl
Another memberiof Has grjfop i-s-the'Bibferian Herring Gull/
L;,r<^ms/Reinhardt, named'from a solitary Specimen obtained