242 LARIN.E. GAVIA. 



all round blackish -grey, becoming deep black behind; the 

 back and wings bluish-grey ; the other parts white. Young 

 with the head spotted with blackish-grey and white ; the back 

 and wings blackish-grey and yellowish-brown ; tail white, 

 with a black band at the end. 



Male, 13, 33, lOf, 1, I/;, 1, T \. Female, 12, 32. 



This beautiful species, which breeds along the coasts of 

 the arctic seas of America, and extends in winter as far south- 

 ward as New England, has been met with in a few instances 

 in England, and on the coasts of the continent. 



Larus Sabini, Leach. Ross, Voy. App. PI. 7. Larus Sa- 

 binei, Temm. Man. d'Ornith. iv. 488. Favia Sabini, Sabine's 

 Mew, MacGillivray, Brit. Birds, v* 



301. GAVIA MINUTA. LITTLE MEW. 



" Length of the tarsus an inch ; shafts of the quills brown ; 

 all the feathers of the wings tipped with pure white ; the legs 

 when stretched out reach only about three-fourths of the 

 length of the tail ; the hind toe very small, bearing a scarcely 

 apparent straight claw. Length about eleven inches. Adult 

 in winter with the forehead, space between the eye and bill, 

 a large spot behind the eyes, throat, all the other lower parts, 

 and the tail, pure white ; occiput, nape, a spot before the 

 eyes, another over the ears, blackish-grey ; all the other upper 

 parts light bluish-grey ; all the feathers of the wings of that 

 colour terminated by a large space of pure white ; lower sur- 

 face of the wings blackish ; bill and iris blackish-brown ; 

 feet very bright vermillion ; the wings longer than the tail 

 by an inch. In summer, the head and upper part of the neck 

 black, a white crescent before the eyes, lower parts roseate- 

 white ; rump and tail white ; the rest of the upper parts very 

 pale pure bluish-grey ; the primaries grey, and, with the se- 

 condaries, tipped with white ; bill deep lake-red, iris dark- 

 brown, feet crimson-red. Young with the forehead, sides of 

 the head, all the lower parts, and the tail, white ; upper parts 

 variegated with brown and grey ; the tail slightly forked, with 

 a broad terminal band of black; bill blackish-brown, feet 

 livid flesh-colour." Temminck. 



The above description is taken from M. Temminck, as I 

 am not acquainted with this species, of which a few indivi- 

 duals, in the immature state, have been met with in England, 

 Scotland, and Ireland. It is said to occur in the Mediter- 

 ranean at all seasons, and to extend even to Greenland, but 

 to be of rare occurrence on the coasts of western Europe. 



Larus minutus, Lath. Ind. Ornith. ii. 813. Larus minutu- , 



