THE LITTLE GULL 343 



forked ; the head and neck of a dark gray, with a 

 black collar ; the mantle slate-coloured. In winter 

 the crown and forehead change to white. In length 

 it measures fourteen inches. 



The little gull, the smallest of the British gulls, 

 measuring but twelve inches, is somewhat irregular 

 in its visits to Britain, being most frequently met 

 with on the Eastern coasts of England and Scot- 

 land after heavy easterly gales, being doubt- 

 less driven thither from Russia, although it has 

 been from time to time observed in the Channel 

 and Ireland. Since its visitations are almost en- 

 tirely confined to the winter, it will perhaps be of 

 more service to the reader to describe its plumage 

 at that season : The head is white, the nape streaked 

 with gray ; the mantle pale gray ; under parts 

 white, with a pink tinge ; legs and feet vermilion. 

 In summer the head is black. 



The brown-headed gull, less aptly also termed 

 the black-headed gull, is one of our resident gulls; 

 it is common on all the low-lying portions of the 

 British and Irish coasts. Like many of the same 

 family, the colour of the head changes in winter 

 to white, with the exception of a gray patch be- 

 hind the eye. In summer the head is of a sooty- 

 brown colour (according to Colonel Irby, this 

 colour is retained from the beginning of March 

 to the beginning of August) ; the mantle blue- 

 gray ; tail white ; under parts white, with a pink 

 tinge; the primary feathers white in the centre, 

 and dark edges to their inner webs. 



