314 NEW-YORK FAUNA — BIRDS. 



L. minutus, Pall. (Nuttall, Man. Orn. Vol. 2. p. 289.) Mantle pearl-grey. Quills white at the 

 point ; shafts blackish. Hind toe very small, with nail straight and scarcely apparent. Summer, a 

 black hood. Young, spotted with grey and blackish. Tail somewhat forked, with a black sub- 

 terminal band. Length, 10-5. Rare in the northern regions. Common in Europe. 



GENUS LESTRIS. Illiger. 

 Bill moderate, cylindrical, hooked at the tip : ridge and tip in separate pieces. Nostrils 

 towards the tip, oblique, narrow, pervious, closed behind by the cere. Feet slender. Hind 

 toe small, on a level with the others. Nails strong, much incurved and very acute. Tail 

 even or rounded ; the central pair much elongated. 



THE ARCTIC HAWK-GULL. 



Lestris buffoni? 

 plate cxxxui. fig. 291. 



(COLLECTION OF W. COOPER.) 



Description. Bill straight, abruptly curved and notched at the tip, ' 9 long, as broad as 

 high at the base : lower mandible obliquely truncate and scolloped : mental angle prominent. 

 Wings 1 1 • ; the first quill longest. Tail somewhat rounded, of twelve feathers ; the round- 

 ed lateral ones truncated, especially on their inner webs. Beside the long and wide central 

 pair, there is an additional pair still longer and filamentous. The shortest central pair 0*7 

 longer than the lateral ones, broad, very slightly tapering, and truncated at the tips. The 

 filiform pair are 2 • longer than the preceding, ' 2 broad in the widest part, and tapering 

 into narrow thread-like filaments, with a total length of 7-5. Tarsus apparently light greenish, 

 0*6 long, with smooth plates in front and small rough scales behind. Toes and webs with 

 jet black minute scales. 



Color. Base of the bill apparently greenish ; the tip black : lower mandible with a red- 

 dish tinge towards the base. There appear^ to have been also a difference in the color of the 

 hind toe and nail of each foot ; one being reddish and the other jet black. Frontlet, crown, 

 occiput, and a space before and beneath the eyes to the rictus, deep blackish brown. Chin 

 and upper part of the throat white. Sides of the head, and around the neck, white with a 

 tinge of yellow. Back and all above dark slate. Quills, secondaries and tail brownish black : 

 upper and under tail-coverts broadly barred with white and brown. Upper part of the breast 

 varied with white and brown. Flanks, axillaries and vent barred with white and brown : 

 centre of abdomen dull brown. Length, 15 - 0. 



I refer this with much doubt to L. buffoni, which is said to be only accidental in America ; 

 and, indeed, in my previous report, had indicated it under the name of dubius. It is very 

 distinct from that and all other species, by the comparative shortness of Its bill, and the 

 presence of four elongated tail-feathers. It would be improper, however, in the present 

 imperfect state of our knowledge, to erect it into a new species. 



