These birds are easily tamed, and soon take to domestic habits; but their flesh, which is hard and tough as leather, is unfit for human food. In order to render them eatable in cases of emergency, the sailors, after having skinned them, hang them up by their feet, and leave them exposed to the evening dew for two or three nights. By this means a little of the disagreeable smell passed by their carcass is got rid of. [Illustration: Fig. 108.--Large White-winged Gull (_Larus glaucus_, Yarrell).] The most remarkable species of the Sea Gull are the following:-- The Large White-winged Gull, _Larus glaucus_ (Fig. 108), is all white except its back, which is of a light bluish grey. It is most frequently found towards the east of Europe, and is rare on the Atlantic coasts. The Great Black-backed Gull, _Larus marinus_ (Fig. 109), is of a pure white, with a black back. It is very common in northern regions, and habitually visits the shores of the Atlantic to the north of France. The Herring Gull (_Larus argentatus_, Yarrell), is white, with a blue back. It is seen throughout the year on the coasts of the Mediterranean and the Atlantic. The only species of Sea Mew which it is necessary for us to describe are:-- The White Sea Mew, or Senator (_Larus eburneus_),[26] which is found but incidentally in the temperate regions of Europe. It is very common in Greenland and Baffin's Bay. Its plumage is entirely white, tinted with pink underneath; it has black feet and a bluish bill. [26] Ivory Gull of Yarrell. The Brown-masked Sea Mew (_Larus capistratus_)[27] has the top of its head and throat of a light brown colour; the inside of the wings are light grey; the rest of its body is white; and its bill and tarsi are of a reddish-brown colour. This species is common in England. [27] The Masked Gull of Yarrell. [Illustration: Fig. 109.--Great Black-backed Gull (_Larus marinus_, Yarrell).] The Laughing Sea Mew (_Larus ridibundus_)[28] has its head black; its neck, tail, and lower parts of a white hue. Its back and wings are bluish grey, and its beak and feet vermilion red. This is the species most easily tamed. It is called the Laughing Sea Mew on account of its cry. It is widely spread all over Europe, and builds its nest on the coast at the mouths of rivers. It is only a visitor in France and Germany, but in Holland it is found a permanent resident. [28] Black-headed Gull of Yarrell. The Grey Sea Mew, _Larus canus_ (Fig. 110), is commonly called the Sea Pigeon. Its plumage is of a beautiful white colour with the exception of a grey back. When tempests threaten, this species disperses in flocks over the inland districts. It is common in summer in the regions of the Arctic Circle; in autumn and winter it is found on the sea-coasts of temperate and southern Europe. [Illustration: Fig. 110.--Grey Sea Mews (_Larus canus_, Yarrell).] [Illustration: Fig. 111.--The Common Skua (_Lestris cataractes_, Yarrell).]