Inland Gulls It is, I think, unquestionable that many varieties
of gull are increasing steadily. Why I do not know. The perpetual presence, outside the breeding season, of black-headed gulls (the special gull of London) in a number of inland towns and , parishes is a new phenomenon, of not more than two years' standing, if as much. They are now, for example, regular denizens of the purlieus of St. Albans ; and are to be seen almost when you will on dumps and rough ground both further North and further inland. The species, of course, is hardly a sea bird. It prefers an inland swamp or tussocky field for its nursery, is the most constant follower of the plough, and now begins to discover any place where there is good scavenging. Whether it has any crimes, such as those of the black-backed and herring gulls, I doubt, though it is a casual egg stealer in some districts.
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