HEllRING GULL. 545 



Male in Winter. — The Ilening Gull is next in size to 

 the Great Black-backed and Glaucous Gulls, being consider- 

 ably larger than the Yellow-footed Gull or the Iceland Gull. 

 It is stouter also than either of the two latter, its body being 

 to a^ipearance large and full ; the neck of moderate length 

 and very thick ; the head large, ovate, considerably rounded 

 above, and narrowed before. 



The bill is shorter than the head, stout, compressed, rather 

 higher toward the end than at the base ; the upper mandible 

 Avith the dorsal line nearly straight for half its length, then 

 decurved, the ridge convex, the sides slightly so, the edges 

 sharp, direct, toward the end arcuato-declinate, the tip narrow 

 but rather obtuse ; the lower mandible with the angle long 

 and narrow, the outline of the crura straight, concave toward 

 the angle, the commissure prominent, the dorsal line ascend- 

 ing and very slightly concave, the sides nearly flat, the edges 

 sharp and inflected, toward the end decurved, the tip obtuse. 



The nostrils are linear-oblong, much wider anteriorly, 

 four-and-a-half-twelfths long, pervious, nearer the edge than 

 the ridge. The eyes are rather small, their aperture four-and- 

 a-half- twelfths. That of the ear roundish and rather small. 

 The feet are rather short and slender ; the tibia bare for 

 about eight-twelfths ; the tarsus slender, compressed, with 

 twenty-four anterior scutella. The hind toe elevated, ex- 

 tremely small, with two scutella ; the anterior toes of mode- 

 rate length, slender, the second considerably shorter than the 

 fourth ; the second and fourth with thick expanded margins, 

 the soles flattened, and the webs with the margins nearly 

 straight. On the second toe are twenty, on the third thirty- 

 four, on the fourth thirty scutella. The claws are small, 

 slightly arched, depressed, obtuse, that of the middle toe with 

 a thin expanded inner edge. 



The plumage is full, close, elastic, soft ; on the head, neck, 

 and lower parts, blended ; on the back and wings rather com- 

 pact ; the feathers in general broad, rounded, and curved. 

 The wings are very long, of moderate breadth, with thirty- 

 four quills ; the first longest, the second scarcely shorter ; the 

 secondaries broad and rounded, the inner narrower. The 

 tail is rather short and even. 



VOL. V. 2 N 



