366 BIRDS OP TUNISIA 



LARUS MINUTUS, Pallas. 

 LITTLE GULL. 



Larus minutus, Pallas, Eeise Buss. Reichs, iii, p. 702 (1776) ; Malhcrbe, 

 Faunc Orn. de VAlg. p. 35 (1855) ; Saicnclers, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. 

 sxv, p. 173. 



Hydrocoloeus minutus, Locke, Expl. Sci. Alg. Ois. ii, p. 19i (1867). 



Xema minutum, Koenig, J.f. 0. 1888, p. 291 ; id. J.f. 0. 1893, p. 101. 



Description. — Adult male, winter, from Tunis, North Tunisia. 



Forehead white ; crown and nape smoke-grey ; greater part of upper 

 plumage pearl-grey ; rump, upper tail-coverts and tail white ; primaries 

 with dark grey margins on the inner webs ; under parts white ; under wing- 

 coverts grey. 



Iris dark brown ; bill blackish ; feet orange-red. 



Total length 11 inches, wing 9, culmen 1, tarsus 1. 



Adult female similar to the male, but rather smaller. 



In spring the entire head is jet-black, and the bill reddish at the base. 



Young birds have the upper plumage brownish, varied with black and 

 grey, darkest on the nape, ear-coverts and back; rump white; tail tipped 

 with blackish ; quills blackish, tipped with white ; underparts whitish. 



The Little Gull is a winter visitor to the Eegency, but is some- 

 what irregular in its occurrence, being usually more or less uncommon, 

 though in some years most abundant. 



Blanc says he has observed three or four large immigrations of the 

 species during the twenty years or so that he has resided in Tunis. 

 It was probably in one of these "years of plenty" that Canon 

 Tristram found the Little Gull abundant on all the shallow lagoons 

 of the North African coast, particularly between Tunis and Carthage. 



Loche states that it is by no means common in Algeria, only 

 occurring in winter, and then but rarely and accidentally. In 

 Marocco it seems also to be far from common, and Favier only once 

 obtained the bird near Tangier. In the Straits of Gibraltar Colonel 

 Irby has met with it occasionally in winter, and Mr. Saunders seems 

 to have found it not uncommon in winter and spring at Malaga. 

 Though the species ranges to Western Europe, it is more particularly 

 an inhabitant of the east of our continent, and breeds chiefly in the 

 north-eastern portion. 



In Asia it ranges eastwards to the Sea of Okhotsk, and has once 

 been obtained in India. It has also occurred as a straggler in 

 America, on Long Island. 



