way, and the coasts of the North Sea and the Channel as
far as the north-west of France. Eastwards its occurrence
rests -upon a single specimen broughtifrom-Novaya Zemlya,
identified;-by Dr. A. Yon Pelzeln, and the expression of a
belief by Yon Middendorff that he saw this species on the
Taimyr in 75?"N.. lat. Westward it occurs in Iceland, where
Faber first observed it, and the substance of his- remarks
may be thus given '
This' is the only Gull that -passes the winter, in Iceland
without breeding there an summer. I have travelled over
most, of the coast the island','but - have, never feund its
breeding-place, f No L. lemopterus occur on the crocks of
Faxe or Bredebugt towards.thè west, where E^ylauèus-hreeis
in large coloniés. 3 A few days, after the middle of September,
the first specimens j. both -eld and—young, make^their appearance
on the coast of Iceland, confining • themselves to t-he
northern parts, among the smalbinlëts- of 'which great numbers
pass the winter. When I lived'on- the innermost of the
small fiords, on the northern coast,'these birds were dur daily
guests. Towards the end of April their numbers; decreased;
and by tb i end of May Ifeyikad^earlyall disappeared; from
Iceland. These tame birds., came on land by»uny winterdwelling
on the northern .coast,* to* snap up - thé' entrails
thrown away by the inhabitants-; and fought fiercely for them
with the Raven. I*lad made onep-sb tame* that it came-every
morning at a certain ' time t&i my doov :t©^obtain food, and
then flew away again. It gave me notiëèl&f itssarrival by
its .cry. .This Gull indicatedet’o the. seahshoOters in the
fiord where.they should look‘for'the seals, by continually-
following their track in the. sea, and hovering dm flocks j and
with incessant cries: over them?t*and whilst the seals hunted
the sprat and the cupeling, towards the surface of -the watery
these Gulls precipitated them selves.' down upon the'fish and
snapped them up. In like man ne^hey'follow; the track
of the cod-.fish-in the sea,id6*-feed upon - the&beotyf hunted up-
by this: fish rpf prey;, In the fcmnf&r^If# 182Gte21<, ‘whicfei I
passed at Debratte, on the:southern >eoast,--there vwas not a
single L. leucopierus to'bA;seen?;--on the lstshfi March, 182ly
the.shore was almost free of sea-gulls ; but as I stepped, out*
of.myroom early-an the 2nd of* March, the air was.almost*
filled with a species- of Laru$' which had appeared suddenly.-
As I approached and looked up at them, I soon recognized my
L. leucopterus, which"1 had arrived in great numbers during
the. night. The Icelanders concluded, from -the. sudden1
appearance of these-Gulfe, that shoals of codfish must have
arrived on the coast. They got ready their boats and nets,-
and the fish had in truth -arrived in such numbers that the
fishing fonthat season commenced immediately.. Here, where
hitherto an ornithological quiet had reignedy everything now
became enlivened through the arrival^ of these birds, which,
without intermission,, .and with incessant: cries, hovered over
the.nets.: -If I wished;to shoot.this Gull I-observed the time
when -the fishing^boats landed, and this tame bird followed
the boats to shore in.order to feed- on»the parts which were-
thrown away by. the fishermen. 1 1 heard afterwards that this
particular species? of Gull had been very; scarce! during that
winter;on the northern' coast:; the. Greenland ice had filled
up.all therintets there, and the birds -were thus drives:to the
southern shorn,iwhere I had again the opportunity- of observ-
ingAem. Bgthis year, 1821, they&mmaiued bn the southern-
coast tilkthe middle pfl May? when they entirely deft a t. to
proceed northward |fj| their; breeding-places. This Gull was
my weather guide in winter';*! If Sit swam near the shorn;r
and there,, as if anxious, mpjyed along with1 its feathers puffed
out, then I knew that on the following day storms and snow
were to bo expected. In fine weather it soared high in the
air. Hundreds often sit on a piece .office, and in ih a t way
are drifted.many miles. In its manners it differs from the
Glaucous Gull, which has the habits of the Great Black-
backed* Gull, and moves*'with morfi^energy.- The .Mature
the White-winged Gull more resembles that” of; the*Herring
Gull; its deportment .and flight are more graceful; it hovers
over ife prey, is .somewhat greedy, always active, and is not
afraid to-’ fight: with,tequal, .or superior antagonists for its
food.
. -In Greenland this .Gull breeds in both Inspectorates, espe