ROSS'S GULL. 323 



known to exist in collections ; but Commander Ross, in his Zoological 

 Appendix to Sir Edward Parry's narrative of his most adventurous 

 boat-voyage tovs^ards the Pole, relates that several were seen during 

 the journey over the ice north of Spitzbergen, and that Lieutenant 

 FoRSTEB also found the species in Waygait Straits, which is probably 

 one of its breeding places. It is to Commander Ross, who killed the 

 first specimen which was obtained, that the species is dedicated, as a 

 tribute for his imwearied exertions in the promotion of natural history 

 on the late Arctic voyages, in all of which he bore a part. Of the pe- 

 culiar habits or winter retreat of this species nothing is known. 



" Description of a specimen killed, June 1823, at Alagnak, Melville 

 Peninsula, Lat. 69|o N. 



" Colour. — Scapulars, inter-scapulars, and both surfaces of the wings 

 clear pearl-grey ; outer web of the first quill blackish-brown to its tip, 

 which is grey ; tips of the scapulars and lesser quills whitish. Some 

 small feathers near the eye, and a collar round the middle of the neck 

 pitch-black. Rest of the plumage white, the neck above and the whole 

 under plimiage deeply tinged with peach-blossom red in recent speci- 

 mens. Bill black; its rictus and the edges of the eyelids reddish- 

 orange. Legs and feet vermilion-red ; nails blackish. 



" Form. — Bill slender, weak, with a scarcely perceptible salient 

 angle beneath ; the upper mandible slightly arched and compressed to- 

 wards the point ; the commissure slightly curved at the tip. Wings 

 an inch longer than the decidedly cuneiform tail, of which the central 

 feathers are an inch longer than the lateral. Tarsi rather stout ; the 

 thumb very distinct, armed with a nail as large as that of the outer 

 toe. 



" The other specimen killed by Mr Sherer a few days later, differs 

 only in the first primary coverts having the same dark colour with the 

 outer web of the first primary itself. 



" Length to end of tail 14 inches ; tail 5^ ; wing 10^ ; bill along 

 the ridge | ; rictus 1 J ; from nostril to tip of bill j^ ; tarsus 1 j\ ; mid- 

 dle toe % its nail I'g." 



