LARID^. 601 



upper tail-coverts, dark brown, barred with paler 

 brown. Wing-quills brown and black. Tail black 

 and white, as are its upper coverts. Under surface 

 of the body white, transversely marked with cine- 

 reous-grey or dull brown, the centre of the belly 

 being generally, however, plain white. Bill, basal 

 half flesh-colour, point half black. Feet dull flesh- 

 colour. Irides dark brown." One shot by me at 

 Teignmouth, on the 17th of October, is in a transi- 

 tion state from this to a more mature plumage : the 

 head, neck, breast and flanks are white, streaked and 

 spotted with pale brown ; chin white ; the back and 

 scapulars nearly half and half gull-grey and pale 

 brown, the brown feathers (which are the remains of 

 the former plumage) margined with white ; the lesser 

 wing-coverts pale brown, margined with white ; the 

 greater the same, but slightly tinged with gull-grey 

 at the base, which looks as if the change of colour 

 was coming in those feathers by transmutation rather 

 than moult ; the tertials are darkish brown, tipped 

 with white. Another specimen, shot by me at Teign- 

 mouth, appears to agree very closely with Mr. Blake- 

 Knox's description of the third winter plumage : the 

 bill and legs were grey (till Mrs. Turle painted them 

 bright red); the whole of the head and neck white, 

 streaked and spotted with dusky, except the chin, 

 which is plain white ; the breast much spotted with 

 palish brown ; the back, scapulars, wing-coverts and 

 tertials gull-grey, except the tips of some of the 



3 F 



