48 ROSS'S GULL. 



LARUS MINUTUS. 

 Little Gull. 



Larus MINUTUS I'ALLUS, Rcisc, Russ. Rciclis., Ill; App., No. 35, p. 702, 177L 



DESCRIPTION. 

 Sp. Ch. Size, very small, somewhat less than that of L. Philadelphia, but the form is similar. 

 CoLOK. Adult in summer. Head, Mack. Mantle, pale pearl gray. Primaries, also pearl gray tipped 

 ■with white and usually without black markings. 



Winter Adult. Similar to tlio summer dress, but the head is white with the occiput tinged with gray, 

 and there is a dusky spot on the ear coverts. 



Young. Forehead, lores, cheeks, tail, and under parts, white. Above, blackish, with feathers, except- 

 ing on head and neck, banded with pale buff. 



OBSERVATIONS. 

 Distinguished from Bonaparte's Gull by the smaller size and absence of black markings on the prima- 

 ries. Inhabits in summer the interior of northern Europe, migrating southward in winter to northern Africa; 

 accidental on the Bermudas and on Long Island, 



DIMENSIONS. 

 Length, 10-40 to ll-.5(i : wing, .S-65, to O'OO ; tail, o-75 to 4-00 : bill, Sr, to -90; tarsus, "Mto I'OO. 



HABITS. 

 This diminutive, hooded Gull breeds on the niar.slie's of Russia. It claims a place 

 in our fauna on account of its accidental occurrence on the Bennudas, and once, recently, 

 on Long Hand, as recorded l)y Mr. Butcher in the "Auk", vol. V, April, 1888. p. 171. 



RHODOSTETHIA ROSEA. 

 Ross's Gull. 



Rhodostethla kosea, Macgill., Wern. Soc. Trans. V. No. XIII, p. "240, 1SG2 



DESCRIPTION. 



Sp. Ch. Size, rather small. Bill, short. Tail graduated, the outer feathers being from .75 to 1 Jt'2 

 shorter than the middle. 



Color. Adult. Mantle, and under surface of wings, pale pearl gray, with the secondaries and inner 

 primaries broadly tipped with pinkish white, and the outer web of first primary is mostly black. Remain- 

 der of plumage, white, strongly tinged with pinkish. There is a narrow, black collar encircling the middle 

 of the neck. 



Winter adult. Similar to the summer plumage, but the black collar is absent, there is a blackish spot 

 in front of eye, and the top of head is tinged with dusky. 



Young. Similar to the adult summer dress, with the collar present, but the wings are more or less 

 tinged with blackish, and some of the tail feathers are tijiped with black. Younger. Collar, alisent, and 

 the upper parts are heavily marked with blackish, and the breast and neck beneath, arc banded with dusky. 



OBSERVATIONS. 



Known from all other Gulls by the graduated tail. Distributed in summer through the Arctic region, 

 migrating southward in winter to Northern Asia, northern Alaska, and Greenland. 



DIMENSIONS. 

 Length, 11-50 to UW; wing, y-50 to 10-50; tail, 4-00 to 4-50: bill. ■(i5 to .75: tarsus, 1-20 to 1-25. 



