4<lJ^ LARID.E. 



the Solway Frith ; and Mr. Wm. Thompson notices it as a 

 regular summer visitant to Ireland. 



M. Nilsson says it is common in summer on the shores of 

 the Baltic ; and it is said to visit Russia and Siberia, It is 

 not very common in the interior of Germany, but is included 

 in the different histories of the birds of that country. It is 

 abundant on the coasts of Holland and France, but not com- 

 monly found inland. M. Savi includes it in his Birds of 

 Italy, and it is said to have been found at the Black and the 

 Caspian Seas; but it is not mentioned in the catalogues of the 

 Russian naturalists who have lately visited these localities. 

 ^Ir. Gould mentions having received this species from India, 

 and it is a common species in the United States. 



In the adult bird in summer the beak is orange, tipped 

 with black ; irides dusky ; forehead white, crown of the head 

 and the nape jet black ; back and wings uniform delicate 

 pearl-grey, the first, second, and sometimes the third primary 

 slate-grey ; upper tail-coverts and tail-feathers white, tail 

 forked ; chin, throat, sides of neck, breast, and all the under 

 surface of the body pure white ; legs, toes, and membranes 

 orange. The whole length of the bird rather more than eight 

 inches ; from the wrist to the end of the wing six inches and 

 three-quarters. The adult bird in winter only varies in 

 having the head dull black, instead of deep black. 



The young bird of the year, as figured, has the point of 

 the bill dark brown, the base pale brown ; forehead and 

 crown mottled with dusky brown, and greyish-white, more 

 uniform in colour on the nape, and darker ; back, wing- 

 coverts, and tertials ash-grey, margined with dusky black ; 

 primaries slate-grey, margins of the inner webs white ; secon- 

 daries ash-grey ; tail-feathers spotted with dusky grey towards 

 the ends ; chin, sides of neck, breast, and all the under sur- 

 face white ; legs pale brown. 



