LARID2, 588 
perceptible; the whole of the head and upper part 
of the neck a very dark ash lead-colour; the re- 
mainder of the neck behind and before, as well as 
the breast and belly, pure white; a narrow black 
collar surrounds the neck at the meeting of the ash- 
colour and white. The back, scapulars and wing- 
coverts ash-coloured, very much lighter than the 
head, but darker than the corresponding parts of 
the Blackheaded Gull (L. ridibundus); the lower ends 
of the scapulars are tipped with white; the first five 
primary quill-feathers with black shafts, the whole 
outer webs of these black, the edge of their inner webs 
white to within an inch and a half of the tips, the 
white sometimes continued to the tip; the tips of the 
first and second of these feathers in some white, in 
others black; the tips of the third, fourth and fifth 
white, giving the wing when closed a spotted ap- 
pearance; the sixth primary with a white shaft, 
having the web more or less black, but principally 
white, with sometimes a black spot near the end; 
the other primaries, the secondaries and tertials, 
white; the whole of the under part of the wing 
white; legs, feet and claws black. The young are 
said at first to be mottled with brown and dull 
yellow. 
The eggs are regular in shape, not much pointed ; 
the colour olive, blotched with brown.* 
* Yarrell, vol. iii., p. 550. 
