470 LARIN.E. 



Eyes rather small ; nostrils oblong or linear, pervious ; 

 aperture of ear moderate. Legs short or of moderate length ; 

 tibia bare to some extent ; tarsus rather short, somewhat 

 compressed, ■with numerous, much curved scutella ; hind toe 

 very small and elevated ; middle toe longest ; fore toes of 

 moderate length, slender, interdigital membranes full, their 

 margins only a little concave ; clavv^s generally small, arcuate, 

 more or less compressed, acute. 



Plumage very full, moderately close, elastic, soft, and 

 blended, on the back and wings rather compact ; the feathers 

 generally oblong and rounded, on the fore part of the head 

 short. Wings very long, rather broad, pointed. Tail rather 

 short, even, rounded, cuneate, or forked, of tAvelvc broad 

 feathers. 



These birds inhabit the shores of the ocean, along which 

 they w^ander in search of food, the larger species preying on 

 fishes, Crustacea, and mollusca, and occasionally feeding on 

 the carcases of cetacea, seals, and other marine mammalia, 

 while the smaller feed chiefly on fishes, articulated and mol- 

 luscous animals. They all pursue shoals of fishes in the 

 open sea, often to great distances from the shores, and many 

 of them make occasional excursions over the land, especially 

 in stormy weather. They walk with considerable ease, wade 

 in shallow pools or by the shore, swim moderately well, and 

 sit very lightly on the water, but are incapable of diving. 

 Their flight is buoyant, in general moderately rapid, easy, 

 gliding, and protracted. Hovering over the water, they 

 sometimes plunge headlong upon their prey, but more fre- 

 quently seize it only when it is near enough the surface to 

 render it unnecessary to immerse more than the bill and 

 head. When thus looking for food, they sustain themselves 

 by a quivering movement of their upstretched wings, and 

 occasionally by patting the w-ater with their feet. They 

 generally congregate, often in vast numbers, in particular 

 places, as headlands, cliffs, rocky islands, some of them in 

 marshes, or upon islets in lakes, for the purpose of breeding. 

 Their nests are bulky or rudely constructed, and they lay 

 from two to four, seldom five, large oval eggs, of an olivaceous 

 or greyish colour, patched or spotted with dusky. The 



