Gull at rest on the water.
“He is a large bird,” said Tom. “His body is white in colour, all but his wings and back. These are of a pale bluish-grey.”
“Very good, Tom,” said Uncle George. “Come on, Frank.”
“He has a large, greyish-green bill. The tip of it is hooked in shape, and yellow. His legs are greenish-grey. The three front toes of his feet are webbed.”
“But,” said Tom, “I can see other gulls darker in colour. Their bodies are dark brown and grey above and light brown below. What are they?”
“They are the young gulls, Tom. They have not got rid of their nest feathers yet.”
“Where do they build their nests?” Dolly asked.
“High up on the cliffs, and on lonely rocky islands. Like the rooks, they all nest together. The gull’s nest is a very simple thing. It is just a hole scraped in the ground and covered with dried grass. Here two, or perhaps three, spotted eggs are laid. The gull is very fond of her young. She will not allow them to try to fly from the high cliff. She carries them one by one on her back down to the sea, and there teaches them to swim.
“Some gulls—the black-headed gull, for example—go far inland to nest. These build their nests on the shores of small hill lakes. They return to the sea with their young ones in autumn.