Domestic Encyclopædia (1802)/Gull

GULL, or Larus, in ornithology, a genus of aquatic birds, comprising eleven species, the most remarkable of which is the parasiticus, or Dung-hunter: it is about 21 inches in length; the upper parts of its body, wings, and tail, are black: the lower part of the breast dusky, &c. It commonly frequents the Hebrides in the month of May, and retires about August. It is also found in the Orkney Islands, and on the coasts of Yorkshire, where it is called the feaser. The female constructs her nest of grass and moss, on a hillock, in some marshy situation in which she deposits two ash-coloured eggs spotted with black, and about the size of those of a hen.—Funke, a German naturalist, informs us that these eggs are found in such numbers, on an island which is uninhabited, in the vicinity of Amsterdam, that it is lett at the annual rent of 20,000 florins.

Gulls, in general, fly but slowly; though, when in pursuit of other birds, they often attack and compel them to disgorge the fish, or other food, which the gulls devour with avidity.