General 
descrip- 
tion. 
Winter 
Plumage. 
Summer 
Plumage. 
Young. 
492 NATATORES. LARUS. GULL. 
white and pearl-grey, the characteristic colours of the adult 
bird, and the change is completed as soon as the caudal band 
is entirely obliterated. The Common Gull has a wide geo- 
graphical distribution, and during the summer is met with 
in most of the arctic regions, inhabiting, according to Dr 
Ricuarpson, those of North America, as well as of the Eu- 
ropean and Asiatic continents. In winter it quits the higher 
latitudes, and migrates southward, spreading its numbers 
along the coasts of a large proportion of the temperate parts 
of Europe. 
Prare 93. Represents this bird in the adult state, and in its . 
winter plumage. 
Bill about one inch and a half long, bluish-green at the 
base, passing into ochre-yellow towards the point, with 
the gape orange-red, and the naked circle round each 
eye reddish-brown. Head, occiput, nape, and sides of 
the neck, white, streaked with broccoli-brown. Under 
plumage, rump, and tail, pure white. Mantle, scapu- 
lars, and wing-coverts, fine pearl-grey. Greater quills 
black towards their tips, which are white, the two first 
having also a large white spot within the black. Legs 
and feet greenish-grey, with a tinge of flesh-red. 
In the spring the head and neck lose the streaks of brown, 
and become of an immaculate white. The bill changes 
to a deeper yellow, and the eyelids assume a bright ver- 
milion-red colour. In other respects the plumage re- 
mains as In winter. 
The young, when they first take wing, have the chin 
white, and the head, neck, and under plumage, greyish- 
white, marbled with pale clove-brown. In front of the 
eyes is a patch of deep clove-brown. Upper plumage 
clove-brown, each feather being edged with greyish- 
white, and upon the wing-coverts with yellowish-white. 
Greater wing-coverts and quills blackish-grey. Rump 
and basal part of the tail, white, the other part black, 
