IVORY GULL. 661 



Sabine describes a specimen killed daring the first week in 

 June, at Greenland, apparently a bird of the preceding year, 

 as having a few light brown feathers about the bill, extending 

 towards the eyes ; a very small transverse band of brown 

 spots across the primary wing-coverts, thickest at the point 

 of the wing ; the primary quill and the tail-feathers slightly 

 tipped with brown. A bird still younger than the last had 

 the ends of the primary quill-feathers, and of the tail- 

 feathers, tipped with brown. 



The nearly fledged young are described by Richardson 

 (Journal of a Boat-voyage, p. 281) as having ash-grey backs ; 

 but with regard to the subsequent stages of plumage there is 

 an absence of satisfactory details, and the Editor can only 

 place the following facts before his readers. In the autumn 

 of 1880, Mr. Leigh Smith brought back from Franz-Josef 

 Land a bird which was supposed to be the survivor of several 

 young taken from the nest, and which was presented to the 

 Zoological Gardens. Its prevailing tone was grey, owing 

 perhaps to the saturation of the plumage with grease and 

 dirt acquired on board the steam-yacht, where the bird is 

 said to have frequented the stoke-hole ; but after constant 

 washing since its arrival at the Gardens, the bird still 

 remained of a smoke-grey, nearly as dark as a Fulmar 

 Petrel on the upper parts, and especially so on the tail- 

 coverts, the feathers of the back and wing-coverts having 

 slightly darker shafts, and the head beariog not merely a 

 mask, but a short hood of a darker grey than the neck and 

 the under parts. The tail was reduced by abrasion to a mere 

 stump. Such was the description given by the Editor when 

 the bird was supposed to be from three to four months old 

 (Zool. 1880, p. 484), and its correctness can be corroborated 

 by other observers. It was naturally expected that at the 

 next moult the bird would pass into the well-known spotted 

 plumage ; but no spots made their appearance, and this 

 example at once assumed the pure white plumage which it 

 now (April, 1884) displays. This omission of the spotted 

 stage may perhaps be owing to captivity in a comparatively 

 warm climate : the Editor is unable to account for it. 



