15. LARus. 221 



15. Larus hemprichi. 



Xema crassirostris, Boie (nee VieilL), Isis, 1844, p. 192 [ex Licht. MS.). 



Adelaius hemprichii, liruch, J.f. O. 18o3, p. 106 (e.r Bp. MS.) ; id. 

 op. cit. 1855, p. 278 (Red Sea); Bp. Naum. 1854, p. 212; id. 

 a R. xlii. p. 771 (1856) ; Blasius, J.f. O. 1865, p. 378; Antin. ^■ 

 Salvad. Viagg. Bogos, p. 156 (1873). 



Larus crassirostris, Licht. {nee VieilL) Nomencl. Av. p. 99(1854: 

 Arabian coast). 



Larus hempriclii, Heugl. Ibis, 1859, p. 350 (Red Sea) ; Konig- Warth. 

 Ibis, I860, p. 120 (Amarat Is., Red Sea, breeding) ; Heuql. in 

 Peterm. Mitth. 1861, p. 29 & p. 312 (Lower Red Sea) ; Schleg. 

 Mus. P.-B., Lari, p. 32 (1863) ; A. E. Brehm, Reis. Habesch, 

 p. 228 (1863) ; Finsch, Tr. Zool. Soc. vii. p. 302, pi. xxvii. (1870) ; 

 Blanford, Geol. Sr Zool. Abyss, p. 441 (1870: Lower Red Sea); 

 Finsch Sf Hartl. Vog. Ostafr. p. 823 (1870) ; Gray, Hand-l. B. iii. 

 p. 114, no. 10979 (1871 : Gulf of Aden); Heugl. Orn. N.O.-Afr. 

 Rd. ii. pt. 2, p. 1399, tab. 36. fig. 2 (1873) ; Blanford, East. Persia, 

 ii. p. 292 (1876 : Aden to Karachi^ ; Hume, S'fr. Feath. i. p. 279 

 (1873 : Sind) ; id. op. cit. iv. p. 414 (1876 : Bombay) ; Vian, Bull. 

 Soc. Zool. Fr. 1877, p. 32 (Nice [?]) ; Butler, Str. Feath. v. p. 296 

 (1877 : Astolah I., breeding) ; Saunders, P. Z. S. 1878, p. 193 

 (revision) ; Hume, Str. F. viii. p. 115 (1879 : List) ; Butler, 

 iStr. F. ix. p. 439 (1881 : as far east as Bombay) ; Salvad. Ann. 

 Mus. Civ. Genov. (2) i. p. 276 (1884 : Slioa) ; Yerbury ^- Sharpe, 

 Ibis, 1886, p. 22 (Aden) ; Shar2}e, t. c. p. 168 (Muscat) ; Shelley, 

 Ibis, 1888, p. 306 (Manda I., East Africa, abundant) ; Gates, ind 

 ed. Humes K 4" E. Ind. B. iii. p. 293 (1890 : Astolah I.) ; Hartert, 

 Kat. Vogelsaynml. Senckenb. p. 241 (1891 : Red Sea) ; Barries, 

 Ibis, 1893, p. 176 (Aden) ; Finn, t. c. p. 233 (Aden) ; Reichenotu, 

 Vog. Deutsch-Ost-Afr. p. 19 (1894: Tanga). 



Adelolarus crassirostris (nee VieilL), Heine 4* Reichenow, Nomencl. 

 Mus. Hein. p. 358 (1890). 



Adult in breeding-pluTnage. Similar in pattern to the preceding, 

 but larger, and brown, instead of black and slate-colour. Head 

 and throat coffee-brown, darkening on the nape and contrasting 

 strongly with the white lower neck ; eyelids white ; mantle and 

 wing-coverts cofFee-brown ; the long secondaries with pale tips ; the 

 principal secondaries with blackish centres and broad white edges, 

 which form a conspicuous alar band ; primaries chiefly blackish, the 

 4th and succeeding ones with white tips, which increase ascendingly ; 

 tail white ; abdomen and lower breast white ; flanks and upper 

 breast greyish brown ; under wing umber-brown : bill rather stout, 

 greenish yellow to the angle, which is zoned with black, the anterior 

 portion reddish ; iris hazel ; tarsi and toes olive-green. Total 

 length 17"5 inches, culmen 2'25, wing 13'25, tail 5*5, tarsus 2, 

 middle toe with claw 1"8. 



The sexes appear to be alike in size as well as plumage. 



Immature and Young. Allowing for the browner tint generally, 

 the phases of plumage are precisely like those of L. leucophthahnns, 

 e.\cept that there is no grey tint in the tail-feathers, and these are 

 more broadly tipped with white : bill, tarsi, and toes darker than 

 in the adult. 



Hah. Lower Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, coast of East Africa down to 



