592 LARID.E. 



The usual form of the eggs is ovate or pear-shaped ; the 

 ground-colour greenish-olive or greenish-hrown with dark 

 hrown markings, often collected at the larger end, so as to 

 form a zone ; average measurements 1'65 by 1 in. Both 

 the old males and females had three incubation-spots — one 

 in the middle of the abdomen, the others on the sides. A 

 few of the last year's young were about the place, but there 

 was no sign of their breeding. The stomachs of the Little 

 Gulls examined by Mr. Meves chiefly contained small fishes, 

 which they were continually catching in the lake, and very 

 few^ had insects ; but probably, when the Neurojitera, Pliry- 

 gan'ue, and Ephemera are abundant, they feed on these in 

 preference. The flight of this species is peculiarly graceful, 

 and the slaty-black underside of the wing forms an easily 

 recognizable characteristic. According to Mr. Meves the 

 female diifers from the male in having the bill rather lighter- 

 coloured, and the under surface of the wings much lighter, 

 and greyish-black. The rose tinge is quite as deep as in the 

 male — indeed, often deeper. The female is rather less in 

 size than the male. 



The figure of this bird in its summer plumage at the 

 head of this subject, was taken from a specimen given to 

 the Author by Mr. Gould. In this specimen the bill is 

 reddish-brown ; the irides very dark brown ; the whole of 

 the head and the upper part of the neck, all round, is black ; 

 the neck below white ; the back, wing-coverts, and wings 

 uniform pale ash-grey, the primaries of the same hue on the 

 outer but darker on the inner webs, with white at the end 

 and on lower portion of the margin of the inner web ; upper 

 tail-coverts and tail-feathers white, the tail in form square 

 at the end ; all the under surface of the body and under tail- 

 coverts white ; legs, toes, and membranes vermilion. 



In winter the bill is almost black ; forehead and upper 

 part of neck in front, and on the sides, pure white ; occiput 

 and nape of the neck streaked with greyish-black on a white 

 ground ; a dusky spot under the eye, and an elongated patch 

 of dusky black falling downwards from the car-coverts ; all 

 the other parts as in summer. 



