BLACK-HEADED GULLS IN ESSEX (1899). 187
the nest the decaying remains of her young one, and an empty
egg shell. This meant a terrible bird tragedy, some evil disposed
crow, or could it be a Black-backed Gull, had evidently killed the
mother after a gallant struggle, and devoured portions of the
young one, and probably sucked the egg.
"With chastened feelings I walked on to the Decoy startling
the ducks and coots and moorhens from among the thick
clumps of tall rushes, and then sweeping the marsh with a pair
of Zeiss glasses discovered by their help far away to the west-
ward more Black-headed Gulls hovering low over some rushes,
which I knew denoted more nests.
" On arriving at my destination I found a large sheet of fresh
water, and was rejoiced to find another strong colony. In all I
calculated about seventy birds, and though the water was deep
and wide, I managed to wade right out into the middle among
the rushes and was well rewarded.
" Here the nests were completely hidden by the tall thick
reeds. I found over twelve nests many with eggs and one with
four, some young ones just hatched, and four young birds sitting
floating on the water hard by who never moved an inch though
I nearly stepped on them. The nests were large substantial
structures of considerable height, but clumsily made and almost
conical on the top. I found one egg floating in the water.
" I did not stop long to hunt for more, being very well satis-
fied, besides the muddy water stunk in a horrible manner and my
boots began to let the water in, causing me considerable discom-
fort, and all the while the parent birds were in the utmost con-
sternation and very nearly knocked off my cap several times in
their endeavour to frustrate my search.
" On my way back I came across another diminutive colony
of six or eight birds in a distant ditch, where I found a nest in
course of construction, so that probably detached or smaller
colonies breed all over these vast flat marshes.
" In all there may have been nearly one hundred birds
breeding in this neighbourhood this year ; a strong contrast to the
meagre twenty I found last summer. I am inclined also to
believe that the gulls, who are very capricious creatures, first
began to build their nests around the small pond mentioned
above and then deserted them for some unknown] reason for the
larger fleet I had just visited.
" The Black-headed Gulls have several distinct cries. One