LITTLE GULL. 565 



white ; the back, wing-coverts, and wings uniform pale 

 ash grey, the outer primaries darker grey, with white 

 at the end and on the inner margin of the web ; upper 

 tail-coverts and tail-feathers white, the tail in form square 

 at the end ; all the under surface of the body and under 

 tail-coverts white ; legs, toes, and membranes vermilion. 



An adult bird in winter has the bill almost black ; irides 

 dark brown ; forehead and upper part of neck in front, 

 and on the sides, pure white ; occiput and nape of the 

 neck streaked with greyish-black on a white ground ; a 

 dusky spot under the eye, and an elongated patch of dusky 

 black falling downwards from the ear-coverts ; all the 

 other parts as in summer. 



The young bird of the year, killed in the middle of No- 

 vember, had the bill black, irides very dark brown ; fore- 

 head and lore white ; top of the head, occiput, and ear- 

 coverts, greyish-black ; nape of the neck white, forming a 

 collar by uniting with the white of the front ; below the 

 nape a broader black band extending towards, but not 

 reaching, the wings ; back, scapulars, and tertials pale 

 pearl grey, with a few black feathers appearing through ; 

 wing primaries and secondaries greyish-black, tipped with 

 white, nearly the whole of the inner webs white ; greater 

 wing-coverts pearl grey ; smaller coverts black, edged with 

 grey; upper tail-coverts white; upper surface of tail- 

 feathers white, with a broad terminal band of black which 

 is broadest on the middle feathers, the outer tail-feather on 

 each side wholly white ; all the under surface of the body 

 and wings, under tail-coverts, and each outside tail-feather 

 white, the other tail-feathers white with a narrower margin 

 of greyish-black ; legs, toes, and interdigital membranes 

 in this preserved specimen pale yellow brown. The whole 

 length was ten inches and one-eighth ; wing from the wrist 

 eight inches and three-quarters. 



