GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULL. 613 



the shores and islands of Sweden and Norway ; it is also 

 found at Iceland. A single specimen was seen by out' 

 Arctic voyagers in Baffin's Bay, and the species was in- 

 cluded by Fabricius in his Birds of Greenland. According 

 to Mr. Audubon, the Great Black-backed Gull inhabits 

 North America, and is found at Bermuda. 



This species is observed on the coasts of Germany, Hol- 

 land, and France ; it is included by M. Savi, in his Birds 

 of Italy, and it was found by the Russian naturalists in 

 the vicinity of the Caspian Sea. 



The adult bird in summer has the bill pale yellow, the 

 inferior angle of the under mandible reddish -orange, the 

 whole bill very large and strong ; the irides straw yellow, 

 the edges of the eyelids orange ; head and neck pure white ; 

 back, wing-coverts, scapularies, secondaries, and tertials 

 lead grey, the feathers of the three latter series ending in 

 white ; primaries nearly black, the first and second quill- 

 feathers with a triangular white patch, forming the end of 

 each feather, the second quill-feather having a black spot 

 in the white ; all the others tipped with white, the inner 

 broad webs being lead-grey ; upper tail-coverts and tail- 

 feathers pure white ; chin, throat, breast, belly, and all the 

 under surface of the body and tail pure white ; legs and feet 

 flesh colour. In winter the crown of the head and the 

 occiput are slightly streaked with ash grey. The whole 

 length of an adult male is thirty inches, and sometimes 

 rather more ; the wing, from the carpal joint to the 

 end of the longest quill-feather twenty inches. The 

 female measures twenty-seven inches, and her wing nine- 

 teen inches. 



The young birds in their stages to maturity resemble the 

 young of the Lesser Black-backed Gull, but are always 

 much larger, and their legs are paler in colour. 



