302 BIRDS OF EUROPE AND NORTH AFRICA 



mantle and central upper tail coverts very pale grey ; under wing 

 coverts and flanks light grey, axillaries white ; primaries with 

 white tips, ist primary with white "mirror." Eye-rim red. Iris 

 yellowish brown. Bill coral red, tip yellow, black band at angle. 

 Legs and feet olive green. Wing 395-415. Tarsus 55-60. Bill 

 45-51 (H,). In winter, head and neck are striped dark grey. 



Resident. — Mediterranean from Gibraltar east to the Levant. 

 Breeds, Columbretes (Spain), Sardinia, Cyclades, Syrian Coast. 

 Has been reported on Sea of Galilee and near Dead Sea in winter 

 and also on Egyptian Coast. 



Larus gelastes Keyserling and Blasius. Slender-eilled 

 Gull. Ital. Gabbiano roseo. 



(J $ summer. Head, neck, tail, and underparts white, last 

 with rosy tinge ; back, scapulars, upper and under wing coverts, 

 axillaries, secondaries, and inner primaries light grey : ist primary 

 white with tip and most of outer web black ; 2nd, 3rd, and 4th 

 have outer web white and inner web brownish grey, next three 

 are grey and all have black tips. Bill long, slender, red. Eye- 

 rim, legs and feet red. Iris white. In winter, the rosy tinge is 

 less and sides of head are spotted grey. Wing 312-320. Tarsus 

 48-53. Bill 39-42 (H.). Young are like young of " L. ridibundus " 

 but legs and feet are yellow and bill is yellow with black tip. 



Breeds. — S. Spain, Dobrudscha, Sea of Azov, Khirghiz Steppes, 

 Lower Egypt, and in Asia Minor and Persia. Outside breeding 

 season has been met with over entire Mediterranean, and down 

 W. Coast of Africa to within the tropics ; also Black and 

 Caspian Seas, Arabia, and Persian Gulf to India, 



Larus ichthyaetus Pallas. Great Black - headed 

 Gull. 



$, 9 summer. Head, throat, and foreneck black ; hind neck, 

 rump, tail and underparts white ; back, scapulars, upper wing 

 coverts and secondaries light grey, the last with white tips ; 

 primaries white, the ist with outer web and a bar on inner 

 web near tip black, the next five with subterminal black bars. 

 Bill orange, in front of angle a black band. Legs and feet yellow. 

 Wing $ 490-520, ? 450-480. Tarsus $ 81-86, ? 67-71. Bill 

 $ 63-71, ? 51-60. In winter, head white slightly streaked 

 brownish black ; the white inner webs of primaries distinguish 



