of the District of Montreal. 409 



S. nigra. Black Tern. 

 S.fissipes of Gmelin ! 

 ;S'. ohscura of Latham ! 

 S. plumhea of Wilson ! 



v.s.p. Bill black, pale towards the base of the lower mandible ; 

 legs and feet brown or purplish black ; irides brown ; eggs 3 to 4 

 olive brown, mottled brown, and black. 



Dorsal aspect of the young bird. Frontlet ashy white ; crown 

 and nape blackish ash ; interscapulary region and scapulars dark 

 ash, tipped with rufous white; wings, rump and tail pale ash; 

 the former with a narrow edging of white on the inner vanes ; 

 crescent in front of the eyes, and auriculars black. 



Ventral aspect. Throat and its sides, chin, middle of the breast, 

 belly, tail and wing coverts white ; sides, flanks, and axillaries 

 pale ash ; shafts of all the wings and tail quills black. 



1st primary longest ; wings extending about Ij inch beyond 

 the tail which is subfurcate ; length 9j- inches ; alar expanse 20 

 inches ; middle toe, without the nail, longer than the tarsus. 



The adult plumage in nuptial dress : coverts of wholly blackish 

 ash ; the winter dress of adult birds is lead colour, with the head 

 and neck deep black, and the front, throat and vent white. This 

 bird is not often met with in this district. 

 Genus Larus. 



Gen. char. Bill moderate, rather stout, straight, compressed, 

 naked at the base, with sharp incurved edges ; upper mandible 

 rounded above with the apex curved ; lower one shorter, gibbous 

 and angular beneath the point which is blunt ; nostrils medial, 

 lateral, longitudinal and open ; tail slender ; thumb small, not 

 touching the ground ; hind nail occasionally wanting ; wings long 

 and acute ; 1st and 2nd primaries subequal and longest ; tail, 

 more or less square, of 12 feathers. 



L. atricilla. Black headed Gull — Laughing Gull. 

 L. ridibundus of Wilson ! 

 Chroicocejyhalus atricilla. Baird ! 



v.s.p. Bill, legs and feet red ; irides hazel ; eggs 3 olive grey, 

 spotted, pale purple, and dilute brown. 



Mantle dark bluish ash, quills black; above and below the 

 eyes a spot of white ; eyelids and sides of the mouth lake red ; 

 head and neck black ; the whole ventral aspect white ; 5 first pri- 

 maries black towards their tips and except the 1st and 2nd tipped 



