LARIDA—GULLS. 287 
Adult (Winter): Head and neck white, the nape and 
back of neck with a few dusky markings ; central tail-feathers 
sometimes grey. 
Young: Above mottled with brown; primaries dusky- 
brown ; secondaries brown, broadly tipped with white, their 
anterior portions margined with white ; tail broadly and uni- 
formly banded with black, outer rectrices edged with white. 
Distribution: Inhabits the Eastern Mediterranean, the 
Caspian, Red Sea, and Persian Gulf, ranging to the coasts of 
India. 
Habitat: Rivers or lakes during the breeding season ; fre- 
quents the sea-coast in winter. 
COMMON GULL. 
Larus canus Zznz. 
Adult (Summer): ead, neck, upper tail-coverts, tail and 
under parts pure white ; back, wings and coverts grey ; second- 
aries broadly edged and tipped with white ; frst primary grey 
at base of inner web, otherwise black, with a band of white 
across the end, and just tipped with black, rest of primaries 
grey at bases, black towards the end and white-tipped ; bill 
bright yellow at tip, greenish at base; legs and feet greenish- 
yellow ; irides golden-brown. Length 18:5 inches ; culmen 
I°4; wing 14°25 ; tail 5°6; tarsus 2. | 
Adult (Winter): Head, neck, sides of chest, and some 
feathers about the carpal joint spotted with pale dusky brown, 
or dull ashy ; legs and feet olivaceous ; otherwise as in summer. 
Young: Crown, sides of head, and nape closely mottled 
with greyish-brown ; rest of upper parts dull brown, most of 
the feathers with pale margins ; a few grey feathers about the 
back and scapulars ; apical half of primaries chiefly blackish- 
brown, greater wing-coverts chiefly grey ; tail-feathers broadly 
banded with blackish-brown at tips; sides of throat, chest, and 
breast closely mottled with greyish-brown; bill yellowish- 
brown, nearly black on apical half; legs and feet yellowish- 
brown. 
Distribution : Inhabits the Palearctic region, breeding in 
the more northerly parts. Breeds in Scotland, but is chiefly a 
winter visitant to English coasts. Visits the basin of the 
