LAHUS. 



347 



In shape the egg resembles an elhpse, and some are more swollen or rounded in form than 

 others, the shell being comparatively close-grained, and its surface dull and lustreless. In ground 

 colour they \ ary from a light yellowish-stone to a creamy-white and dull stone-grey to a light 

 greenish-grey, the latter being of the rarest type ; over this is distributed freckles, spots, irregular- 

 shaped blotches, short wavy streaks or linear 

 markings of different shades of umber-brown, 

 blackish-brown and similar underlying mark- 

 ings of inky-grey. On some specimens the 

 markings consist entirely of freckles, dots and 

 small spots of blackish-brown, and with often 

 underlying spots of inky-grey ; or a zone or 

 cap of confluent markings on one end. Others 

 have a network of wavy streaks and large 

 blotches of umber-brown and brownish-black, 

 intermingled with fewer underlying markings 

 of dull bluish or inky-grey, while some are 

 boldly, but sparingly, blotched with olive- 

 brown and various shades of ashy-grey, the 

 latter colour appearing as if beneath the surface 

 of the shell. On a few the markings are almost 

 obsolete, being only of a slightly darker shade 

 of the ground colour, or are partially obscured 

 by large uiuleiiying patches of ashy-grey. Five eggs taken by Dr. Metcalfe on Norfolk Island 

 on the 2nd December, iSiji, measures as follows: — Length (A) I'S/ x i'28 inches; (B) 1-71 

 X 1-3 inciies; (C) i-6i x 1-3 inches: (D) 1-7 x 1-29 inches; (E) i'72 x 1-33 inches; the latter 

 specimen is represented on Plate B. X.W., bg. C. Two eggs taken on the ist October, 1894, 

 measure: — Length (A) 1-7 x i-3[ inches; (B) r-di x 1-23 inches. Three eggs tak'en in 

 January, igo8, measure: — Length (A) i-8 x 1-31 inches; (B) 1-71 x 1-33 inches; (C) 176 x 

 i'29 inches. 



Octobt r until the end of March constitutes the usual breeding season on Norfolk Island. 



NESTlNU-l'LACK AND KfiG OP WHITE TKKN. 



Sub-family LARIN^. 

 Larus novae-hollandiae. 



SILVER HULL. 



Larun novti'hollandid , tiU'\>\\. in Shaw's Geu. Zool., Vol. Xllf., p. 19G (18"2(j) ; Saunders, Cat. I!d.s. 



I5rit. .Mus., Vol. XXV., p i.S.T (I89G) ; Sharpp, Hand-I. Bds,, Vol. I., p. 141 (1899). 

 Xi'ina Jnini'sonii, Gould, Hds. Au.'^tr., fol. Vol. VII., pi. 20 (1848). 

 BrucMf/avinjaiiiisonii, Gould, Handbk. Bds. Austr., Vol. If., p. 387 (bSlio). 

 Bruchvjavia Jongirostris, Masters, Proc. Linn. Soc. N. S. Wales, Vol. II., p. 113 (1878). 



Adult male, in breeding pluruage. — Head, neck, (nil and all the utider surface ivliile : back and 

 scapulars delicate grey, hecoming slightly da.rke.r on tlie upper iviiiij-coverts and secondaries : primary 

 coverts and edge of the tviiig witite ; outer primaries black, largely marked tvilh white on both ivebs ; 

 the median primaries -ivhite or greyish-white on their onter ivebs, grey on the inner, with blackish 

 margins ; their entire tipi rrhite, followed by a black bar across both webs ; innermost primaries 



