IN THE GULF OF OMAN. 297 



caught in the monsoon, but I am making other arrangements, 

 and still hope to get the eggs this year in some way or 

 other. 



I may mention that in the breeding season the dark half col- 

 lar of the neck is separated from the smoky brown of the back 

 by a very conspicuous broad white nuchal collar nearly, if not 

 quite, an inch in width, and that all the dark feathers of the 

 neck, both in front and behind, are of a much deeper colour and 

 more clearly denned than in the cold weather plumage. The 

 bird described by Mr. Hume, ante Vol. I, p. 280, is in the 

 cold weather plumage. 



[The following are the dimensions of three beautiful specimens, 

 all females, preserved by Captain Butler, who is certainly in 

 my opinion the most accomplished taxidermist in India : — 



The birds in breeding plumage had the legs and feet pale 

 yellowish drab ; the bill pale greenish drab, tipped red with 

 a black bar near the tip ; irides dark brown. 



The entire head, chin, throat, and central portion of front of 

 upper two-thirds of neck deep brown, with a combined tinge of 

 chocolate and soot. Everywhere towards the margin of the 

 area thus covered, and especially on the nape the colour grows 

 deeper, and where it terminates abruptly on the nape is almost 

 black ; the back and sides of the neck are covered by a pure 

 white collar, very sharply denned above, and shading below into 

 the grey sooty brown of the base of the neck all round and 

 breast. 



The entire mantle aud wings deep brown inclining to choco- 

 late ; all the secondaries and all but the first few primaries ( and 

 sometimes even these ) tipped white ; wing lining, axillaries, 

 and sides deep brown ; middle of breast, abdomen, vent, flanks, 

 upper and lower tail coverts, and tail pure white ; edge of wing 

 below carpal joint whitish. 



Von Heuglin remarks (Orn. Nord. Ost. Afr. 1400) : — 



" The picture of Larus hemprichii given in the Transactions 

 of the London Zoological Society ( VII., pi. 27 ) is sufficiently 

 defective ; in that the colours of the bill, jaw, eyelids, iris, and 

 feet are all quite wrongly given. Moreover, the white nape 

 band is omitted, and the head and mantle are not naturally 

 coloured." 



Now I give up the feet, irides, and bill, the colours of which 

 in the non-breeding season I have given, Vol. I, p. 279, but as 

 regards the white nape band, I beg to remark that, in my opinion, 



