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GULLS. 



Sub-Family I. 

 THE GULLS PROPER. LARIN^,. 



Gkneral Characteristics. — Bill more or less lengthened, straight, compressed on 

 the sides, with the culmen straight at the base and curved to the tip, which is acute ; 

 the nostrils lateral, sub-medial, and oblong; the wings lengthened and pointed; the 

 tail moderate and usually even; the tarsi moderate and strong; the toes moderate, 

 the fore toes united by a web, and the hind toe generally short and elevated. 



These birds arc scattered over the seas of all countries through- 

 out the world. Sometimes, during the spring and summer, they 



Fig. 213.— The Common Gull (Larus canits) 



may be seen in flocks, in the marshes, on the borders of rivers, 

 and on cultivated lands, where they seek for worms, insects, and 



