constitute a well-marked section, principally distinguished by the colour
of their plumage. All the members of this group that we have selected for
description are to be met with in northern climates between 60° and 70°
latitude, where they breed upon the various cliffs and islands. Sometimes,
indeed, they may be seen wandering inland, but, notwithstanding, all are
sea-birds in the strictest sense. As regards their movements, they walk
well, wade readily in the shallow water near the shore, swim lightly and
buoyantly upon a rough sea, and often sleep upon the water. Their flight
is slow, but by no means heavy, and can be sustained for a considerable
time. With long strokes of their wings they sweep onwards through the
air, sometimes flying in circles, sometimes mounting upwards against the
wind, and again descend to the surface of the sea. In these flights they
appear to be quite at their ease even during the wildest storms, and
may frequently be seen plunging into the sea from a considerable height
upon any prey that they may happen to espy. In sagacity and courage the
Gulls are superior to their kindred, but they likewise surpass them
in thieving and gluttony. They care little for the society of their
brethren; nevertheless, it is a rare thing to see one of them alone.
These Gulls subsist principally upon fishes of various size, and regard
carrion, whether fish or flesh, as very delectable food; they also kill
and devour small quadrupeds, and young or disabled birds. They rob the
feebler sea-fowl of their eggs, and search upon the beach for worms and
other animals. Should the shell of a crab or mussel be too hard for their
beak, they at once fly with it into the air, and then, dropping it from a
sufficient elevation upon the rocks beneath, shatter it to pieces.
THE GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULL.
The GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULL (_Larus marinus_), one of the best-known
members of the above group, has the head, neck, under surface of the
body, rump, and tail pure white; the upper back and wings are black;
the wing-quills tipped with white. In young birds the head, neck, and
under side are white, streaked and spotted with yellow and brown; the
rump and wing-covers are brownish grey, with light edges; the quills
and tail-feathers are black, the latter marked with white. The eye is
silver-grey and the ring around it bright red. The beak is yellow, the
under mandible being red towards its apex; the foot is light greyish
yellow. The length of this species is twenty-eight inches, and breadth
sixty-five inches; the wing measures nineteen, and the tail seven inches
and a half. The Black-backed Gull frequents the shores of Europe, and,
according to Audubon, is met with in North America. In Ireland it is a
resident species, and is found dispersed in abundance along the English
and Scotch coasts. It breeds in Caermarthenshire on sandy flats, in the
British Channel on sandy islands or steep holms, and in the marshes near
the mouth of the Thames. Dr. Edmondson says, "This species breeds on the
flat grassy tops of a few inaccessible holms, or small islands--as the
far-famed Cradleholm, of Ness--in considerable numbers, never in cliffs,
and excludes every other bird from such localities. A pair or two--we may
suppose the melancholy remnant of a more numerous race--may now and then
be met with on lower and more accessible, but still flat situations." It
usually produces three young, which, independently of their size, may be
easily distinguished from other species by the more distinct speckling
with black of their grey plumage. Like all the larger Gulls, it is fond of
carrion. In winter these birds feed much on starfish, a meagre and frugal
diet, it must be admitted; but the abundance of herrings, in summer,
amply compensates for the abstinence of winter. When flocks of Shags are
enjoying their gluttonous siesta on the rocks, a Black-backed Gull is very
often perched near them, and on such occasions he acts as their sentinel
by giving the alarm with his hoarse voice, or taking flight when an enemy
endeavours to approach within shot. His deportment is dull and solitary.
[Illustration: BLACK-BACKED AND HERRING GULLS.]
During our travels in Norway and Lapland, we found the Black-backed Gull
common enough, but it was only at Portsangfjord, towards the northern
parts of the country, that we first met with their breeding-places.
Upon an island in that vicinity we observed several hundred pairs, in
company with the Herring Gulls. The nests of both species were placed
promiscuously upon the ground, seldom more than fifty paces apart. Some of
the nests were round, and carefully lined with grass, while others were
more negligently constructed. A terrible uproar was raised as soon as we
set foot on the island, such birds as had begun to brood remained sitting,
and even allowed us to approach within a few steps of their nest, as if
they thought that the fact of their presence would frighten us away. At
length, however, they got up, and with loud cries flew around us at a
little distance, every now and then plunging down as if to strike us, and
then rising again, and taking a circuit previous to renewing the attack.
Several times they flew so close over our heads that they touched us with
their wings, but they did not venture to attack us with their sharp beaks.
In several nests the young ones had not only managed to scramble out at
our approach, but hid themselves very effectually among the long grass.
The eggs of these birds are usually three, sometimes four, in number,
rough, of a yellowish grey or yellowish brown colour, tinged and spotted
with dark brown and slate-grey; they are about three inches long, and
rather more than two inches broad. Mr. Hewitson, who saw these Gulls
breeding in the Orkney and Shetland Isles, says: "Their eggs are rich and
excellent to eat; and they are in consequence a most valuable acquisition
to the owners of the islands upon which they are deposited. The custom is
to take the whole of the first eggs as soon as laid, and the second in
like manner, allowing the birds to sit the third time. One gentleman, Mr.
Scott, upon whose property they breed, and by whom we were most hospitably
received, told us that he had secured sixty dozen of their eggs for winter
use, though the extent of the island was scarcely half an acre."
An egg of this species was hatched in a most curious manner by a boat's
crew, who kept it in a blanket by day, and near the fireplace at night.
For many years this bird lived quite tame at Dartmouth, swimming in the
river, and watching for the return of the fishermen, who always threw it
a supply of small fishes.
THE LESSER BLACK-BACKED OR YELLOW-LEGGED GULL.
The LESSER BLACK-BACKED or YELLOW-LEGGED GULL (_Larus fuscus_). In the
summer plumage of the adult bird, the head and whole of neck, all round,
are pure white; the back, wing-covers, and all the wing-feathers dark
slate-grey, the tips only of some of the longer scapulars and tertials
being white, the shorter of the primaries have white tips; the upper
tail-covers and tail-feathers are white, the breast, belly, and all the
under surface of the body pure white, legs and feet yellow, bill yellow,
inferior angle of lower mandible red; and the irides straw-yellow. The
whole length is twenty-three inches, from the anterior joint of the wing
to the tip of the longest quill-feather sixteen inches. In winter the head
and neck are streaked with dusky brown.
THE HERRING GULL.
The HERRING GULL (_Larus argentatus_). In summer the adults have the
head and neck pure white, the back and all the wing-covers uniform
delicate French grey; tertials tipped with white; primaries mostly black,
but grey on basal portion of inner web, and the first primary with a
triangular patch of white at the end, the second and third with smaller
portions of white; upper tail-covers and tail-feathers pure white; chin,
throat, breast, belly, and whole of under surface of body and tail pure
white; legs and feet flesh-colour; bill yellow, angle of under mandible
red; edges of eyelids orange, irides straw-yellow. The length is from
twenty-two inches to twenty-four inches and a half, depending on the age
and sex; wing from sixteen inches and a half to seventeen and a quarter
long. In winter the adult birds have the head streaked with dusky grey.
This species is common along the whole of the south coast of England,
and is particularly numerous in the Isle of Wight, from Freshwater Bay
to the Needles. During winter the Herring Gulls spread themselves along
the coast, especially frequenting the estuaries where young herrings are
congregated. "When engaged with a shoal of fry," says Macgillivray, "the
Herring Gulls hover over the water, now ascending to a height perhaps
of twenty feet, then skimming close over the surface, and on observing
an object, stretching upward and vibrating their wings and letting down
their feet so as to touch and sometimes pat the water, they pick it up
without alighting. Sometimes they plunge partly into the water, and
occasionally seize their prey while swimming. All this while they emit
now and then a loud and rather shrill cry. They feed on shell-fish, and
occasionally large dead fishes, crustaceans, molluscs, echini, &c. During
the winter and spring they travel inland, seeking for insects, worms, and
similar fare, they rest on beaches and headlands, usually lying down, but
sometimes standing on one leg."
Audubon observed these birds in great numbers in the Bay of Fundy. "The
rocky shores of the islands on which I saw them breeding," says this
writer, "are covered with multitudes of sea-urchins, having short greenish
spines, which give them the semblance of a ball of moss. At low water,
the Herring Gulls frequently devour these animals, thrusting their bill
through the shell and sucking its contents. They also take up shells
into the air and drop them upon the rocks to break them. We saw one that
had met with a very hard mussel, take it up and drop it three times in
succession before it succeeded in breaking it, and I was much pleased
to see the bird let it fall each succeeding time from a greater height
than before." While on Whitehead Island, in the Bay of Fundy, Audubon
saw numbers of the nests of these birds on fir-trees, some being placed
near the top, others on the middle or lower parts of the trees. He was
informed by the proprietor of the district that in his memory these Gulls
had built their nests on moss, on open ground, but their nests having
been robbed and the birds otherwise annoyed, they had betaken themselves
to the thickest parts of the woods, hoping that by placing their nests on
the trees they would be out of the reach of their arch-enemy, man. The
nest of the Herring Gull, which is frequently placed on ledges of rocks,
is usually formed of grass, or any other vegetable matter that may be
at hand. The eggs are laid about May: these vary much both in size and
colour. The young remain in the nest until they are partially fledged, but
at once quit it if alarmed, and frequently take to the water if pursued.
THE LARGE OR GLAUCOUS WHITE-WINGED GULL.
The LARGE or GLAUCOUS WHITE-WINGED GULL (_Larus glaucus_) is almost
entirely white, with a faint blue tinge upon the back and wing-covers;
the primaries are also white, and extend but little beyond the end of the
tail. The bill is yellowish white, except upon the inferior angle of the
lower mandible, which is reddish orange; the eyes are pale yellow, and
legs and feet flesh-red. In winter the head and neck are slightly streaked
with dark grey. The length of this species is about thirty inches; the
wing measures nine and a half, and the tail eight inches and a half;
according to Yarrell, some have been taken that measured thirty-two and
thirty-three inches. The White-winged Gull is an inhabitant of the high
latitudes, and was found in great numbers by our Arctic voyagers in the
Polar Seas, Davis' Straits, and Baffin's Bay, breeding on precipitous
rocks and ledges of cliffs. The Glaucous Gull is also common in Russia,
on the shores of the Baltic, and has been found in France, Germany,
Holland, and various parts of our own and the Irish coast. It visits
Shetland about the middle of autumn, and departs about the end of spring.
It frequents open bays, and attends fishing-boats a few miles from land,
in order to feed upon any refuse that may be thrown overboard. Sometimes,
if allured by carrion, it will even venture inland. This Gull is very
rapacious, and when deprived of other food will fall upon small birds and
eat them. Sir J. Richardson tells us it feeds upon carrion, and during
Captain Ross's expedition one specimen when struck disgorged an Auk,
and after death another was found in its stomach. In disposition it is
shy and inactive, and exhibits little of the clamorousness observable
in most other members of the genus. The Dutch have bestowed the name of
"Burgomaster" upon this bird; and, according to Scoresby, it may with
propriety be called the chief magistrate of the feathered tribe in the
Spitzbergen regions, as none of its class dare dispute its authority,
when with unhesitating superiority it descends on its prey, though in the
possession of another. The "Burgomaster" is not a numerous species, and
yet it is a general attendant on the whale-fishers, whenever any spoils
are to be obtained. It then hovers over the scene of action, and having
marked out its morsel, descends upon it, and carries it off on the wing.
On its descent, the most dainty food must be relinquished, though in the
grasp of the Fulmar Petrel, the Ivory Gull, or the Kittiwake. It seldom
alights in the water; when it rests on the ice it selects a hummock, and
fixes itself on the highest pinnacle. Sometimes it condescends to take
a more humble situation, that offers any advantages for procuring food.
Upon these occasions the peculiarity of its appearance is very striking.
Its usual deportment is grave and imposing, exhibiting little of the
vivacity or inquisitiveness of many of its tribe; it is roused to exertion
chiefly by a sense of danger, or the cravings of hunger. When it flies,
it extends its wings more than any other species of Gull, and its flight
is remarkably buoyant; when not in quest of food it is of a reserved
disposition, seldom coming within range of a fowling-piece, but keeping at
a respectful distance, it utters at intervals a hoarse scream, of a sound
peculiar to itself. Scoresby found the eggs (which are of a yellowish
grey, spotted and blotched with brown and grey), deposited on the beach
above high-water mark, in such a manner as to receive the benefit of the
full rays of the sun. According to Dr. Edmondson, a single bird of this
species may occasionally be met with accompanying a large flock of other
Gulls, and feeding with them.
THE LESSER WHITE-WINGED GULL.
The LESSER WHITE-WINGED GULL (_Larus leucopterus_) has the head and neck
entirely pure white; the back and wings are pale grey; the primary quills,
chin, throat, breast, entire under surface, and tail of a beautiful pure
white. In the male the bill is yellow, with red angle to lower mandible;
the eyes are straw-colour, and the legs flesh-red. This species is
twenty-two inches long; the pointed wings when closed extend two inches
beyond the tail. According to Faber this Gull has grey spots on its
winter plumage. The Lesser White-winged Gull (formerly confounded with
_L. glaucus_) occupies the northern portions of the globe, and has been
seen by Arctic voyagers in Davis' Straits, Baffin's Bay, and Melville
Island. It is also found in Greenland, and, according to Audubon, is seen
in North America from Nova Scotia to New York during the winter months.
This species is less shy than the Herring Gull, it also proceeds farther
up the rivers and salt-water creeks, and alights more frequently in the
water or on salt meadows than that bird. A few examples have been shot
in Northumberland, Yorkshire, and Ireland, as well as in the Orkney and
Shetland Isles. According to Faber this is the only Gull that winters in
Iceland without breeding there. "I have," he says, "travelled over most of
the coast of the island, but have never found its breeding-place. A few
days after the middle of September a few specimens, both old and young,
make their appearance on the coast of Iceland, confining themselves to
the northern parts, among the small inlets of which great numbers pass
the winter. When I lived on the innermost of the small fjords on the
northern coast, these birds were our daily guests. Towards the end of
April their numbers decreased, and by the end of May they had nearly all
disappeared from Iceland. These tame birds came on land by my winter
dwelling on the northern coast, to snap up the entrails thrown away by
the inhabitants, and fought for them fiercely with the Raven. I had made
one so tame that it came every morning at a certain time to my door to
obtain food, and then flew away again. It gave me notice of its arrival
by its cry. These Gulls indicated to the seal-shooters in the fjord where
they should look for seals, continually following their track in the sea,
and hovering over them in flocks, with incessant cries, and while the
seals hunted the sprat and the capelin towards the surface of the water,
these Gulls precipitated themselves down upon the fishes, and snapped
them up. In like manner they follow the track of the cod-fish in the sea,
to feed upon the booty hunted up by this fish of prey. In the winter of
1821, which I passed on the southern coast, there was not a single _Larus
leucopterus_ to be seen. On the 1st of March, the shore was almost free
from Sea Gulls; but as I stepped out of my room early on the 2nd of March,
the air was almost filled with a species of _Larus_ which had appeared
suddenly. As I approached and looked up at them, I soon recognised my
_Larus leucopterus_, which had arrived in great numbers during the night.
The Icelanders concluded, from the sudden appearance of these Gulls,
that shoals of cod-fish must have arrived on the coast. They got ready
their fishing-boats and nets, and the fish had in truth arrived in such
numbers that the fishing for that season commenced immediately. There,
where hitherto an ornithological quiet had reigned, everything now became
enlivened through the arrival of these birds, which without intermission
and with incessant cries hovered over the nets. In this year, 1821, they
remained on the southern coast till the middle of May, when they entirely
left it, to proceed northward to their breeding-places. This Gull was
my weather-guide in winter. If it swam near the shore, and there, as if
anxious, moved along with its feathers puffed out, then I knew that on the
following day storms and snows were to be expected. In fine weather it
soared high in the air. These birds often sit by hundreds on a piece of
ice, and in that way are drifted many miles."
Mr. Yarrell describes a specimen egg in the collection of Lady Cust as
being two inches and a half long by one inch and three-quarters broad, of
a pale greenish white colour, with numerous spots and specks of two shades
of brown, with others of a blueish-grey, over the surface generally.
* * * * *
The ICE GULLS (_Pagophila_) are recognisable by their slender build,
proportionately longer wings and tail, smaller feet, and shorter web
between the toes.
THE IVORY GULL.
The IVORY GULL (_Pagophila eburnea_) is pure white, at times suffused
with a blush of pink. The eye is yellow, and the eye-ring carmine-red;
the bill over half its length from the base is blueish, towards its apex
reddish yellow, and there is a ring of greenish yellow just in front of
the nostrils; the feet are black. In young birds the head and neck are
greyish; the feathers of the mantle, the quills of the wings, and the
ends of the tail-feathers speckled with black. The length of this bird is
twenty inches; breadth, forty-two inches; length of wing, thirteen inches
and a half; length of tail, five inches and a half.
The Ivory Gull is an inhabitant of the Arctic Regions, and is only
a rare visitor in lower latitudes. It may be regularly met with at
Spitzbergen, as also in the Asiatic part of the Arctic Ocean, and in the
northern parts of Greenland, but even Iceland seems too far south for
its residence. In Greenland it can hardly be called scarce, seeing that
during and after the autumnal storms it sometimes makes its appearance
in great numbers. Audubon tells us that it visits the southern parts
of Labrador and Newfoundland every winter. A few individuals have been
seen on different parts of the British coasts. "Although so delicate in
appearance," says Scoresby, "this Gull is almost as rare as the Fulmar
Petrel, and as little nice in its food; it is, however, more cautious. It
is a constant attendant on the flensing operations of the whale-fishers,
when it generally seizes its portion while on the wing." Like all other
birds inhabiting extreme northern latitudes, it is easily captured indeed,
Holboell states that it may be tempted to come within reach of the hand
with a bit of bacon tied to a string. Wherever a walrus has been killed
these birds are sure to make their appearance, and so devoid of shyness
are they, that by throwing them bits of blubber a man may catch as many of
them as he chooses.
Numbers of these Gulls are constantly to be seen upon the carcases left
by the seal-hunters, or the Polar bears, and they are always present
around the holes or rifts in the ice, to which seals generally resort. As
relates to the breeding of these birds, the same author tells us that on
the 7th of July, at the northern extremity of Murchison's Bay, he saw a
great number of them upon the ledges of a perpendicular cliff of limestone
in company with a variety of other birds. It was easy to perceive that
the females were sitting upon their eggs; these were at the time quite
unapproachable, but on the 30th of June he was ably assisted by a party
of men, furnished with long ropes, to get at some of the nests, which
consisted of a small quantity of grass, spread upon the bare rock, and
rudely lined with grass, seaweed, moss, and feathers.
* * * * *
The KITTIWAKES (_Rissa_) may be selected as the representatives of the
Three-toed Gulls, their distinguishing character being that the hinder
toe is wanting or reduced to a mere rudiment. Should other points of
difference be sought for, they may be found in the feebleness of the
beak and in the proportionately short tarsi. The toes, however, are
long, and the feet provided with well-developed webs. In the adults, the
plumage upon the head, neck, rump, tail, and under parts of the body is
snow-white, and on the mantle blueish grey, the wings are whitish grey,
black at the points. The eye is brown, the eye-ring coral-red; the beak
citron-yellow, red at the corner of the mouth; the foot black, yellowish
in the sole. After their autumnal moult, the hinder neck becomes blueish
grey, and a round spot behind the ear black. In young birds, the mantle
is dark grey, each feather being margined with black. The length of this
Gull is from sixteen to seventeen inches, the breadth thirty-seven to
thirty-nine inches; the length of the wing twelve inches, and of the tail
five inches.
This bird is an inhabitant of high northern latitudes; during the winter,
however, it leaves the frozen ocean, and not only appears in considerable
numbers upon the shores of Great Britain, but extends its flight to places
much farther south. These Gulls are seen inland more frequently than the
generality of their kindred, as they often follow the course of rivers
to a considerable distance into the interior of the country, sometimes
appearing there in large flocks. In Iceland and Greenland their arrival
is always hailed as the harbinger of spring. They make their appearance
there between the 8th and 20th of March, and although the weather is
still piercingly cold, proceed at once to take possession of the rocks
where they intend to breed, as though each pair were anxious to lose no
time in securing a resting-place. Should the ledges of the rock happen
to be covered with snow, the Kittiwakes are more than usually restless,
and their unremitting shrieks are almost deafening. They remain in their
summer residence till near November, about which time they leave the
fjords and fly away into the open sea.