LARID^E. 589 



'Zoologist' for 1866 (Second Series, p. 364), says he 

 has actually taken from its throat, at different times, 

 " fish, grain, bread, candle-grease, pieces of oily 

 cotton thrown from steamers, meat, vegetables, in- 

 sects (particularly moths, dragonflies and water Cole- 

 optera), worms, crustaceans, mollusks, Radiata, &c." 

 He also adds that he has seen them feeding on and 

 taking the ghost moth at night on the wing. 



In the paper of Mr. Knox's, from which I have 

 just quoted, he traces this Gull most accurately 

 through all its changes of plumage, from the young 

 bird in its down to the perfect plumage of the adult, 

 both in summer and winter. The whole series of the 

 various plumages would be much too long to quote 

 here, but I shall select three stages, which I think 

 will enable my readers to identify the bird at any 

 period of its life. The first plumage after the down 

 is as follows : " Upper surface : Head, top of head 

 and nape from gape under the eyes to the ear- spot 

 brown, clearly indicating the future hood ; the fore- 

 head and a circle round the eyes whitish. The neck 

 is white, except at its junction with the body, where 

 it is banded by a deep band of dull brown, with 

 fainter edges, not encroaching on the breast, but run- 

 ning down and forming an angle before the wings. 

 The back, shoulders and scapulars deep brown, the 

 edges wood-brown or tawny. Rump and tail-coverts 

 white. Tail white, deeply banded at the end with 

 black-brown ; tips pale ; first feather pure white, 



3E 



