618 



RHODOSTETHIA ROSSII. ROSS'S ROSY GULL. 



ROSS'S GULL. CUNEATE-TAILED GULL. 



Larus Rossii. Cuneate-tailed Gull. Ilichards' Fauna Bor. Amcr. II. 427. 

 Ross's Gull. Larus Rossii. Audub. Amcr. Ornith. Biogr. V. 324. 



Wings about an inch longer than the tail, of lohich the 

 medial feathers exceed the lateral by about an inch. In 

 summer the bill black ; margins of eyelids reddish-orange ; 

 feet vermilion ; fore part of back, and both surfaces of icings, 

 pale bluish-grey ; outer web of first quill blackish-brown ; a 

 narrow ring on the neck, and some feathers near the eyes, 

 brownish-black ; the rest of the plumage xchite, but all the 

 lower parts richly tinged tvith rose-colour. 



The above description and the generic character are taken 

 from a specimen in the Museum of the University of Edin- 

 burgh. The species was first alhidcd to by myself, in a 

 paper on Gulls, under the temporary name of Larus roseus. 

 Sir William Jardine described and figm-cd it under the same 

 name. Dr. Richardson then named it Larus Rossii, Cuneate- 

 tailed Gull, Avhich may be considered the first authentic 

 name, though Ross's Gull ought to have been the English 

 name. As to the " priority," which is now the fashion, Sir 

 W. Jardine unquestionably has it, he having adopted my 

 name, to which, however, I lay no claim, as I used it simply 

 for convenience, in alluding to a pccular form of tail among 

 Gulls, and then threw it to the east wind. Its appearance, 

 however, caused some small yelpings. 



The species is thus characterized and described in the 

 Fauna Boreali-Americana : — 



