CEYLON RAILS, WADERS, GULLS, AND TERNS. 243 
Winter : The lower neck becomes white right up to the chin, 
and the upper part of the head and nape white streaked with 
brown-black. 
Young birds are very differently coloured. The upper 
plumage to the rump is mottled brown with paler edges to the 
feathers ; tail coverts and upper part of the tail white ; the 
end of the tail blackish-brown faintly tipped with white ; 
under parts white, the sides of the neck and upper breast 
more or less mottled with pale brown ; wing quills dark brown, 
the secondaries with a narrow white edge. As the bird grows 
older the mantle gradually changes to gray. 
Bill yellow with a black band halfway between the nostrils 
and the tip, tip and gape dull crimson ; in young birds the 
bill is dark horn-colour ; iris deep brown ; legs and feet dull 
yellow. 
Length 26; wing 19; tail 7-5; tarsus 3:00; bill from gape 
3°5. Specimens vary in size, and females are smaller, wing 
about 18. 
Distribution.—An_ occasional storm-driven visitor during 
the north-east monsoon. Not uncommon in Northern India 
and parts of Burma, otherwise rare. Breeds in Central Asia, 
migrating in winter to Southern Asia and North-east Africa. 
Habits —In Ceylon may be looked for on the coast, during 
stormy weather, from about November to March. 
LARUS BRUNNEICEPHALUS (Blanford, Vol. IV., p. 301; 
Legge, p. 1049). 
The Brown-headed Gull. 
Description.—Adult in summer : The whole of the head and 
upper neck hooded with brown, which darkens on the nape, 
contrasting sharply at the point of junction with the white of 
the lower neck ; the lower parts, rump, and tail are also white ; 
mantle pearl-gray. The first five primary quills are white at 
the base with the outer portion black, the amount of black 
decreasing in length from the first to the fifth quill ; the first 
and. second quills have a large white patch near the tip ; later 
primaries mostly gray ; the secondaries the same colour as the 
mantle. 
10 6(9)16 
