specimens are pretty evenly spotted all over with small markings, others have 

 few but rather large blotches, and one variety has the markings chiefly at the 

 large end of the egg, and forming a zone round it. There arc two somewhat 

 rare and very beautiful varieties, one of which has reddish spots on a light 

 greenish ground, and the other, which is very rare, has a pale reddish-buff 

 ground with rich red-brown blotches on it and pale reddish undermarks. I 

 have only once met with the latter variety, in a colony on the Culbins. The 

 eggs of the Lesser Black-backed Gull are almost indistinguishable from those 

 of the Herring Gull, and need most careful identification ; they vary in length 

 from 2'9 to 2'4 inches, and in breadth from 2'i to r8 inches. 



Young in down of this species are greyish-buff on the upper parts and 

 white on the belly. The head and throat are conspicuously spotted with 

 black, and the rest of the upper parts have dark brown mottlings. The legs 

 and feet are flesh-coloured. 



-~F~' ^^ESr^VJsESZ 



3' 



