583 



perceptible ; the whole of the head and upper part 

 of the neck a very dark ash lead-colour; the re- 

 mainder of the neck behind and before, as well as 

 the breast and belly, pure white ; a narrow black 

 collar surrounds the neck at the meeting of the ash- 

 colour and white. The back, scapulars and wing- 

 coverts ash-coloured, very much lighter than the 

 head, but darker than the corresponding parts of 

 the Blackheaded Gull (L. ridibundus) ; the lower ends 

 of the scapulars are tipped with white ; the first five 

 primary quill-feathers with black shafts, the whole 

 outer webs of these black, the edge of their inner webs 

 white to within an inch and a half of the tips, the 

 white sometimes continued to the tip ; the tips of the 

 first and second of these feathers in some white, in 

 others black ; the tips of the third, fourth and fifth 

 white, giving the wing when closed a spotted ap- 

 pearance; the sixth primary with a white shaft, 

 having the web more or less black, but principally 

 white, with sometimes a black spot near the end ; 

 the other primaries, the secondaries and tertials, 

 white ; the whole of the under part of the wing 

 white ; legs, feet and claws black. The young are 

 said at first to be mottled with brown and dull 

 yellow. 



The eggs are regular in shape, not much pointed ; 

 the colour olive, blotched with brown.* 



* Yarrell, vol. in., p. 550. 



