78 OCEAN BIRDS. 



Gould's Silver Gull (Lams novce-hollandice).* — This bird, the Silver Gull [Larits 

 scopulimts), and Lams hartlaubi, are all very much alike, and very closely related. Gould's 

 Silver Gull is the largest and has less black on the three outer primaries, and should be met 

 with off Sardinia. The Silver Gull is essentially a New Zealand Gull. It is thus described by 

 Gould ('Birds of Australia,' vol. ii. p. 388): — "The two sexes are precisely alike in colour. 

 Head, neck, and all the under surface and tail, white; back and wings delicate grey; primaries 

 white, eccentrically marked with black, largely on their inner and narrowly on their outer 

 webs, and largely tipped with the same hue, with a slight fringe of white at the extremity ; 

 eye-lash, bill, legs, and feet, deep blood-red ; nails black ; irides pearl-white." Lams 

 hartlaubi would be met with off the Cape of Good Hope. Mr. Saunders says it may be 

 recognised from its two close allies by its smaller size, proportionately longer and slenderer 

 bill, which is of a rich crimson, and by the more sooty colour of the under wiug-coverts, 

 especially along the carpal joint. 



Black-Headed Gull [Lams ridihundus). — I used to watch these birds with great interest 

 between the intervals of golf, at St. Andrew's. They seemed regularly to follow the tide out to 

 its furthest limits, and then fly out to sea a short distance and settle in enormous flocks till 

 the next ebb ; so that we could always tell the state of the tide by their behaviour. They 

 seemed to make good use of their time on shore, as the sand was literally covered with 

 smashed-up shells. In summer their black heads and red bills, legs, and feet made them very 

 conspicuous. This black head is a real change of colour, and not a moult. 



The Laughing Gull [Ijams atricUla) is almost identical with the Black-headed Gull, 

 but is slightly larger. It may, however, always be recognised by its black primaries. One 

 was obtained by Col. Montagu at Winchelsea, Sussex. 



The Masked Gull {Lams melanocephalus) was also once obtained in England. It much 

 resembles a small Black-headed Gull, only the black is more like a mask than a hood. 



All these three species might be met with in the English Channel ; though the Laughing 

 Gull, being an American species, would certainly be a rara avis.} 



Little Gull (Lams minutus). — This Gull is the smallest of all the genus, and is a rare 

 visitant to Great Britain. Yarrell says that on more than one occasion, when sliot in this 

 country, it was associated with Terns. 



* Mr. J. A. Froude, iu ' Oceana,' says, ou nearing Melbourne, " The Albatross had left us ; we were attended 

 now by flights of the small, beautifully white Austniliau Gull." 



+ A Norfolk gamekeeper once told me he had shot a Woodpecker, called the " Kara-avis." 



