Morris tribune., 1897-03-03
GULLs ON
During Breeding Time gip y.sr Ltxe
Birds of the Country.

Birds of the Country
The gulls breed in mai8L.y places.
sometimes at a considerable distance
from the sea, returning to the coast
as soon as the duties of incubation
are over and reappearing in the fol-
lowing spring. During the breeding
season they become, to all intents
and purposes, birds of the country,
not only in their habitat, but in
their habits. and are to be reckoned
IN no small degree among the farm
er's friends. The number of their
breeding places in Britain has di-
mlnished considerably within his
toric times Sir Thomas Browne
tells us that in his day these birds
were in such plenty about Horsey
that "the country people sometimes
brought them in carts to Norwich
and sold eggs in puddings. = The
colony at Horsey was dispersed
early in this century, and cattle
Craze on the excellent pasture land
which has been formed by the drain
ing of the marshes. The colony did
not, in body, seek a fresh breed
ing place, but spread themselves in
small parties over the broads. Some
came to nest at Rollesby for few
seasons, but the erection there of
the Yarmouth water works, it is
said, disturbed them and eventual
ly drove them away
Of all the new colonies, the most
successful has been that at Hove
ton, not far from Wroxham, the
well known yachting center, where
they bred intermittently till 1854,
when as many as 80 nests were
hatched Off From that date the col
ony may be said to have settled
there permanently, and they have
been consistently protected. Some
doubtless went to the noted breed
ing place at Scoulton mere, probably
the largest in the kingdom, known,
like the vanished one at Horsey, to
Sir Thomas Browne, who, when
treating of these birds, wrote to
Merritt that "great plenty thereof
have bred about Scoulton mere, and
from thence sent to London And
at this place they have bred from
time immemorial.
The village of Scoulton lies on the
high road between Walton and Nor
wich, and not far from the village
is the famous mere, some two miles
round, in the middle of which is
large swampy island, with a thick
growth of spear grass and reeds,
and bearing a few willows About
the middle of February the birds be-
gin to come in, and the stream of
immigration continues for about
three weeks, when the nesting com
mences. Not that a nest, in the or
dinary sense of the word, is always
built--at any rate at Scoulton- for
the eggs are sometimes deposited in
a hollow on the ground. Generally,
however, there is some kind of a
nest of sedges, reed tops and with
cred grass The birds begin to lay
in April, if the weather is mild, and
as soon as they have fairly settled
down the eggs are gathered for the
market, and sometimes as many as
1900 have been taken in one day.
When the birds are in full laying,
and have been left from Friday till
Monday undisturbed, over 8, 900 eggs
have been collected No more than
three are laid the first time, though
if these are taken, the bird will lay
again, but in the second and third
clutch there are rarely more than
two.
During the breeding season the
birds spread over the country in
search of food, following the plow,
picking up grubs and worms turned
up by the share. One is glad to
know that the farmers have remem-
bered their feathered friends. Lub-
book, in his Fauna of Norfolk, )"
says that now and then a year of
jubilee is given, when no eggs are
taken, and that on one occasion the
eggs were spared at the instance of
the neighboring farmers, who just
ly valued the services of these birds
in the destruction of grubs, etc, AS
soon as the young birds can fly the
colony breaks up, and its members
depart to the coast, where, as rule,
they spend the autumn and winter.
By the middle of August the gulls
have left their breeding place, tore
turn no more till the following sea-
son. London Telegraph.