12 ALLEN'S NATURALIST'S LIBRARY. 



nape glossy-black, continued into a nuchal crest and extending 

 across the upper part of the lores to the base of the nostrils ; 

 lower part of the lores, sides of face, and entire under surface 

 of body white, including the under wing-coverts and axillaries ; 

 " bill black, occasionally reddish at the base of the lower 

 mandible ; tarsi and toes black with a reddish tinge ; iris hazel- 

 brown " (II. Saunders'}. Total length, 14*5 inches ; exposed 

 part of culmen, 1*6; wing, 12*5 ; tail, 5*0; tarsus 1*5. 



Adult Female. Similar to the male, but somewhat smaller and 

 the bill not quite so robust. Total length, 14-0 inches ; wing, 



T2'0. 



Adult in Winter Plumage. Differs from the summer plumage 

 in being slightly paler, the wings more frosted with hoary-grey, 

 and the white on the outer tail-feathers more distinct than in 

 summer ; crown of head white, the hinder crown narrowly 

 streaked with black and mottled with black on the nape ; in 

 front of the eye a black spot. 



Young. Similar to the winter plumage of the adult, but the 

 streaks on the head greyish-brown and not so distinct, the 

 whole of the grey colour of the upper surface obscured by ashy- 

 brown or brownish-buff, the feathers being mottled with a 

 sub-terminal bar of darker brown. 



Nestling. Stone-buff, with black streaks and spots along the 

 back and on the head and sides of the crown ; under surface 

 of body dull white. 



Characters. These are given under the heading of the 

 genus 



Range in Great Britain. The Gull-billed Tern is only an 

 accidental visitor to England, having occurred several times in 

 spring and summer, principally in Norfolk, but also at different 

 places on the south coast, the most northerly occurrences 

 having taken place near Blackpool in Lancashire, and near 

 Leeds in Yorkshire. One specimen has been recorded 

 from Belfast Lough in Ireland, but having been submitted 

 to Mr. Saunders, he found it to be an Arctic Tern ! 



Range outside the British Islands. In the Old World the Gull 



