828 BIRDS OP INDIA, 



Fam. Laiiidj!:, Gulls and Terns. 



Bill moderate or long, straight ; wings long ; nostrils linear, 

 basal, pervious ; hind toe almost always present, though small. 

 Plumage usually pale grey and white, varied in some by black and 

 brown. 



This family comprises the Skuas or Parasitic Gulls, the true 

 Gulls, and the Terns ; many being familiar birds known to all, and 

 some of them very abundant on our sea coasts, lakes, and rivers. 

 They live chiefly on fish and Crustacea, a few on insects, and 

 others on carrion and refuse, and they either pick their prey off the 

 surface of the water or plunge for it. They nidificate on the 

 ground, laying two to four eggs, usually richly blotched with dark 

 brown on a whitish or greenish ground. 



They are divided into the following sub-families : — 



1st — LestridincB, Skuas on Parasitic Gulls. 



2nd. — Larince, Gulls. 



Zrd.—SternvKB, Terns. 



Sub-fam. LESTRIDINiE. 



Bill moderate, thick, rounded above, the base covered with a 

 cere, the tip strongly hooked ; nostrils median, narrow ; wings 

 long, 1st quill longest ; tail rather long, the two central feathers 

 elongated ; hind toe very small, claws, especially the inner one, 

 hooked and sharp. 



The Skuas or Parasitic Gulls are a small group of sea birds, 

 which chiefly live by robbing their neighbours of the food they 

 have taken. They differ from the Gulls by their shorter, thicker, 

 and more hooked bills, the lengthened and cuneate tail, and strong 

 sharp claws. In these respects, as well as in their possessing a cere, 

 they show some points of affinity with Birds of Prey, which they 

 also partially resemble in their habits. Their flight is peculiarly 

 rapid. The plumage of the sexes is alike ; and most of them do not 

 attain their full plumage for several years. One species, Lestris 

 pomarinus, has been once obtained on the Burmese coast, where 

 it was procured by Major Tickell, having been captured by a 

 native in a swampy meadow during heavy weather, probably in 



