^■^.r. 



-i 



271 



legs and feet greenish yellow^ inclining to grey. Length 24*5 inches ; wing^ from flexure^ 16"5 ; tail G-5 ■ 

 bill, along the ridge 2*25^ along the edge of lower mandible 3; bare tibia 1*25; tarsus 2*5; middle toe 

 and claw 2*5. 



Young, General plumage dark brownish grey, varied moie or less with white. On the head, neck, and 

 underparts the grey and white are blended, presenting a mottled appearance ; the feathers composing 

 the mantle are barred and margined, and the wing-coverts are margined and vandyked with white; the 

 primaries are brownish black and the secondaries dark brown, changing to white at the tips ; the tail- 

 feathers are blackish brown, the outermost one on each side spotted on its outer web, and all of them 

 marbled towards the base with greyish white; upper and lower tail-coverts white, conspicuously barred 

 with brown; axillary plumes uniform dark grey. Bill greyish brown, horn-coloured towards the tips 

 of both mandibles ; legs and feet dark brown. 



r\ 



km. : -:iiiio et' 



1* t^it 



< 



^ • w *■ *- "" 



ibuli maciila 



Icargr 



♦-o-albi 



^: alarum hn^^'^' ^' 



g)pM 



#• 



,^bnk i^*"' 



^ 



notato 



. rosf" 





Progress towards maturity. As the change of plumage is gradual, individuals present much diversity in 

 their progress towards maturity, the tendency being towards a lighter grey in the ground-colours, Avith 

 less of the spotted character. The following is a description of a well-advanced bird : — Upper parts 

 dark grey, marked and obscurely spotted with white, lighter on the head, neck, and upper tail-coverts; 

 on the scapulars a central spot of black ; underparts light grey, mottled with darker ; under tail-coverts 

 white, transversely barred with black; primaries and secondaries black, the latter tipped with white- 

 tail-ftathers black, with a narrow terminal mark of white. 



Nestling. Covered with thick down of a dark ash-grey, varied on the back with dull brown, lighter on the 

 underparts; the head and nape marked with large irregular spots of blackish brown; irides black; bill 

 black, with a whitish ridge ; feet dark lead-colour. 



Varieties. I have met with one pure albino, with another having a conspicuous white spot on each wing, 

 and a third with a broad terminal band of black across the tail ; but these were, of course, merely 

 accidental varieties. 



This fine Gull, which ranges over the whole southern hemisphere, is extremely plentiful on all 

 our coasts, preferring, however, the smooth sea-beaches and the sandy spits at the mouths of our 

 tidal rivers ; in these localities it is always to be met with either singly or associated in large 

 flocks, and mixing freely with the smaller species of Gulls, Terns, Oyster-catchers, and other 

 shore-birds. It frequents the harbours, and hovers around the vessels with much clamour, 

 waiting to pick up any morsel that may chance to be thrown overboard. It follows in the Avake 

 of the departing steamer as it quits the still waters for the stormy offing, and often accompanies 

 it far out to sea, eagerly watching for stray bits of food as they float astern, and disputing their 

 possession with the Albatros and Cape-Pigeon, on whose domain it has thus far trespassed. 

 During very stormy weather it often travels some miles inland ; and at the breeding-season it 

 occasionally penetrates far up the river-courses in search of a secure nesting-place. It also 

 frequents the pastures at a distance from the coast in quest of food, doing good service to the 

 farmer by its large consumption of caterpillars and other insect pests. On the sea-shore it sub- 

 sists chiefly on a species of bivalve, and displays much ingenuity in breaking the hard shell to «^et 

 at the contents : seizing it between its powerful mandibles, it runs a few steps, then spreads its 

 wings, and mounts in the air to a height of thirty feet or more, when it lets the bivalve drop on 



2 172 



f 



^H 



