298 BIRDS OF EUROPE AND NORTH AFRICA 



Larus. 



Eill strong, compressed sideways, upper mandible hooked 

 at tip and reaching beyond lower; nostrils longitudinal; tail 

 square ; hind toe and claw well marked ; sexes alike, young 

 different from adults ; nest usually bulky, on cliffs or on 

 ground ; eggs 2-4, variable, some dull white in ground colour, 

 others dull olivaceous or ochreous, spotted and blotched 

 with different shades of brown. 



Larus marinus L. Great Black-backed Gull. Fr. 

 Goeland a manteau noir ; Ger. Mantelmowe ; Hal. Mugnaiaccio ; 

 Swed. Hafstrut. 



$ $ Back, scapulars and wing coverts slaty black ; head, 

 hind neck, tail, tips of scapulars and underparts white ; primaries 

 black, 1st primary with white tip and grey inner web, white tip 

 about 60 m.m. long ; 2nd primary has white tip crossed by a black 

 bar ; other primaries are white tipped. Bill massive, yellow, lower 

 mandible orange red at angle. Eye-rim vermilion, iris brown. 

 Legs and feet pale flesh colour. Wing 465-515. Tarsus 71-79. 

 Bill 52-63. In winter, head and neck are streaked brownish grey. 

 Young : above light brown mottled with white ; head and neck 

 streaked ; breast and abdomen dull huffy white ; bill horn colour. 

 Do not attain maturity till fourth year. 



Breeds. — Greenland, Iceland, Faroes, N. Russia, Baltic 

 Provinces, Sweden, Gothland, Norway, British Isles and occasion- 

 ally N.W. France ; also in east North America. Partly resident ; 

 wanders in winter south to Mediterranean, Caspian and Black 

 Seas, Canaries and Azores, and in America south to Florida 

 and Cuba. 



Larus argentatus argentatus Pontoppidan. Herring 

 Gull. Fr. Goeland argente ; Gcr. Silbermowe ; Swed. Gratrut. 



^ $ Head, neck, tips of scapulars, tail and underparts white ; 

 mantle pale blue grey ; primaries and secondaries white tipped, 

 1st primary black with grey inner edge, in the next five black 

 diminishes and grey increases ; ist and 2nd primaries in addition 

 have white patches or "mirrors" near tip ; inner primaries are 

 grey like secondaries. Bill pale yellow, with orange red patch 

 on lower mandible at angle. Eye- rim yellow, iris pale yellow. 



