YELLOW-LEGGED HERRING-GULL 429 



Adult winter, male and female. Differs from the nuptial 

 plumage in that the head and neck are streaked with grey. 



Immature, male and female. The plumage of the 

 young bird is profusely chequered above and below with 

 greyish-brown ; primaries, brown, with paler inner webs 

 and whitish tips ; tail, greyish-white, broadly banded with 

 brown. The chequered markings are retained until the 

 beginning of the third autumn ; they are then replaced on 

 the back and scapulars by ' pearl 'grey feathers correspond- 

 ing in colour with those of the mature birds ; the wing- 

 coverts, head, neck, and breast, remain dappled and the tail 

 banded for a longer period, maturity being gradually 

 attained, and not completed until the fifth year. 



BEAK. Yellow, red at the angle. 



FEET. Flesh-colour. 



IRIDES. Bright yellow ; margin of eyelids, pale yellow. 



AVERAGE MEASUREMENTS. 



TOTAL LENGTH 24 in. Female smaller. 



WING 17-5 



BEAK 3 ,, 



TARSO-METATARSUS ... 2'5 ,, 



EGG 2-9 X 1-95 in. 



YELLOW-LEGGED HERRING-GULL. LOTUS cachinnans 



(Pallas). 



Coloured Figures. Dresser, ' Birds of Europe,' vol. viii, pi. 602, 

 fig. 2. 



This is a south-eastern species which, on one occasion, 

 has been recorded from the British Isles. On November 

 4th, 1886, a specimen was obtained on Breydon Water, 

 Norfolk. It was examined by Mr. Saunders, and is now 

 in the collection of Mr. Connop, of Kollesby Hall, Great 

 Yarmouth (Saunders, Man. Brit. Birds, 2nd Edition, p. 674). 



DESCRIPTIVE CHARACTERS. 1 



PLUMAGE. Adult male nuptial. Resembles the nup- 

 tial plumage of the Herring-Gull, except that the back and 



1 Vide Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., vol. xxv, p. 268. 



