LAEXJS CANUS 367 



This small Gull frequents the sea-coast chiefly, but may frequently 

 be found on lakes and other inland waters. It is remarkably tame 

 and confiding, and, like its allies, very graceful in its flight and general 

 movements. It feeds principally on small fish and insects. Its note 

 is short and plaintive. 



LARUS CANUS, Linnaeus. 

 COMMON GULL. 



Larus canus, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 224 (1766) ; Malherbe, Faune Orn. 

 de VAlg. p. 35 (1855) ; Loche, Expl. Sci. Alcj. Ois. ii, p. 184 (1867) ; 

 Eoenig, J.f. 0. 1888, p. 290 ; id. J. f. 0. 1893, p. 100 ; Saunders, Cat. 

 Birds Brit. Miis. xsv, p. 277 ; Erlanger, J. f. 0. 1900, p. 74. 



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



Head, neck, rump, tail and entire under parts white, the head and nape 

 striped with brown ; remainder of upper parts pearl-grey ; primaries black, 

 with white spots at the tips. 



Iris hazel ; bill greenish-yellow ; feet greyish. 



Total length 18 inches, wing 14-75, culmen l-BO, tarsus 2. 



Adult female similar to the male. 



In summer the head and nape of the adult are pure white. 



The young have the head and neck thickly striped with brown, upper 

 parts generally mottled with brown, quills almost entirely brown ; tail with 

 a broad brown band at the tip. 



Observation. — Apparently this species takes three years to acquire its 

 fully adult plumage. 



The Common Gull is to be found on the Tunisian coasts through- 

 out the winter months, and is fairly abundant at times, particularly 

 during stormy, tempestuous weather, when it is driven inland. 



According to Loche it is very common in winter on the Algerian 

 coasts, and may also be found on some of the lakes and other inland 

 waters. Canon Tristram and Taczanowski also record the species as 

 abundant on the Algerian shores. It appears to be unrecorded from 

 the Canaries and Madeira, though, according to Colonel Irby, it is 

 not uncommon in the Straits of Gibraltar. The species inhabits 

 Europe generally to about 53" N. lat., breeding in the more northern 



