LARUS 835 



white bar near the tip, the rest narrowly, the secondaries broadly tipped 

 with white ; bill light yellow, the lower mandible with a bright red patcli 

 towards the tip ; iris straw-yellow ; edge of eyelids vermilion ; legs and 

 feet yellow. Culmen 2'4, wing 157, tail 6'0, tarsus 2*1 inch. 



Hob. Northern Europe, as far north in Sweden as Haparanda, 

 and in Norway as the Russian frontier, east to the Dvina, west 

 to the Faeroes and Great Britain, south to the Mediterranean ; 

 wintering in the Canaries, Madeira, Africa south to Senegambia 

 and Nubia ; rare in the North Caspian ; the Persian Gulf in 

 winter. 



In habits it does not differ from its allies. It is chiefly found 

 on the sea coasts, and feeds on small fish, Crustacea, land and 

 marine mollusca, worms, &c. Its cry is loud, mellow, and plain- 

 tive, and it also utters a cackling or laughing cry. It breeds on 

 cliffs, in some parts ' on islands in lakes, and in marshes, con- 

 structing a rather bulky nest of grass, moss, &c., and early in 

 May deposits 2 to 3, usually 3, eggs, which in ground-colour vary 

 from light greenish blue to pale olivaceous brown, and are 

 spotted and blotched with violet-grey underlying shell-markings 

 and dark brown surface blotches. In size they measure about 

 275 by 1-96. 



1148. SIBERIAN GULL. 

 LARUS AFFINIS. 



Larus affinis, Reinhardt, Vidensk. Meddel. 1853, p. 78; Dresser, viii. 

 p. 417 ; Bidgway, p. 29 ; Saunders, Cat. B. Br. Mus. xxv. p. 254 ; 

 Tacz. F. 0. Sib. O. p. 1026 ; Blanf. F. Brit. Ind. Birds, iv. p. 304. 



$ ad. (Petchora). Differs from L. fuscus in being larger, with a 

 proportionately shorter wing, the mantle paler, being dark dull slate- 

 blue ; quills black, with a distinct dark slate pattern on the inner web, 

 the first with a white spot near the tip, several others slightly tipped with 

 white, the inner secondaries broadly white tipped ; bill and legs as in 

 L. fuscus; orbital ring deep orange. Culmen 2*75, wing 17*4, tail 7*0, 

 tarsus 2 '8 inch. 



Hob. Northern Europe and Asia from the Dvina to the 

 Yenesei ; wintering on the coasts of Baluchistan, Western 

 India, Malabar, Southern Arabia, Somaliland, Aden, and Socotra; 

 has once been obtained in Heligoland, and the type in South 

 Greenland. 



In habits it resembles L. fusciis, and its eggs are like those 

 of that species. 



