320 WILD-FOWL AND SEA-FOWL OF GREAT BRITAIN 



white, patched and barred with brownish-black and 

 dusky. The lower parts are a mixture of greyish- 

 white and very light brown, barred and spotted 

 with dark brown. The legs and feet are livid - 

 toned flesh colour. The young are great speckled 

 creatures of grave appearance in a state of captivity. 

 Before they can use their wings, they make the 

 very best use of their legs when alarmed, and hide 

 up if possible. If you attempt to comfort them 

 when they are querulously crying for the parents 

 they have been taken from, they will bite you 

 severely enough. 



THE LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL. 



{Larus fusciis.) 



Male : Summer plumage. — -The bill is light 

 orange ; patch on lower mandible vermilion. Iris 

 pale yellow ; eyelids vermilion ; head, neck, and 

 all the lower parts snowy white. The fore-part 

 and middle of back, scapulars, upper wing coverts, 

 and secondary quills are a blackish-grey, with a 

 tinge of purple ; primaries and their coverts darker ; 

 all the quills tipped with white ; legs and feet 

 gamboge yellow. Length, from bill to end of tail, 

 twenty-two inches. 



Winter plumage. — The bill greenish-yellow ; head 

 and neck white, with light brown streaks. The rest 

 of plumage as in summer. 



The female is similar to the male, but smaller. 

 With the exception of the dark parts of the plumage 



