LARUS DOMINICANUS. 697 
whitish at the ends; the feathers on the hind neck, and some of 
those on the back, streaked with buff down the middle; wings 
darker brown, narrowly margined with ashy; quills ashy brown, 
the shafts white; the primaries conspicuously white towards the 
base ; lower back and rump ashy brown, the upper tail-coverts more 
of a chocolate brown; tail-feathers ashy brown, blackish towards 
the tip with the shafts white; under surface of body entirely sooty, 
a few of the feathers washed with dusky rust colour; some of the 
flanks obscurely washed with whitish ; under wing-coverts dark 
brown, the greater series and the quills underneath ashy brown, the 
primaries conspicuously white at the base of the inner web: bill 
black; feet slaty black with a green tinge. Total length, 23 in. ; 
culmen, 2°8; wing, 16:3; tail, 6-0; tarsus, 2°8. 
Fig. Sharpe, Rep. Trans. Venus, Zool. pl. 7, fig. 1 (head). 
672. Larus pominicanus, Licht. Southern Black-backed Gull. 
The descriptions are taken from specimens killed on the 29th of 
April, 1865, in Table Bay, by Mr. L. C. Layard. It is an abundant 
species, frequenting all our coast line, and breeding in large numbers 
on the islands to the north-westward. Their eggs are very variable 
in colour and markings, but are ordinarily of a darkish olive-green, 
profusely spotted with brown, chiefly in a band round the obtuse 
end: axis, 3”; diam., 2”. We had one in confinement for nearly 
two years, and he had only just assumed the full adult plumage. 
We think that it is not put on till the third year. Our friend 
“Jack ”’ was quite tame, and stalked about the garden and into the 
house at pleasure; he fed on any garbage, and generally took his 
morsel to his water-tub, and washed or wetted it before swallowing. 
His favourite sleeping-place, when not perched on the coal-heap, 
was an old tree-stump standing in the garden. He was a great 
adept at catching mice, which he swallowed whole, after giving them 
a few preliminary raps on the ground. Indeed, they seemed a 
great bon bouche with him; and he would hurry from the furthest 
end of the garden, if we did but hold one in our fingers, or show 
him the trap. He was very fond of worms, but would not eat slugs. 
He usually washed himself morning and evening, and slept much 
during the day. 
Mr. Rickard has procured the species near Port Elizabeth and 
East London. Captain Shelley states that it is common along the 
