315 



THE LITTLE GULL. 



Larus m'lnutus, Pall. 

 Is extremely rare. 



On tlie 5tli of Angustj 1840^ I saw in the museum of tlie Dublin 

 Natural History Society a beautiful adult specimen of this bird 

 (the first in this plumage known to have occured in the British 

 Islands) which had been shot by Walter Boydj Esq., of the 97tli 

 Eegiment, in the month of May of that year, between Shannon 

 Harbour and Shannon Bridge, on the river of the same name. There 

 was a pair of them ; the other proved wild after its companion 

 had been killed : they were in company with the common black- 

 headed gull [L. rkllhundiis) .* 



A beautiful adult little gull was shot in the estuary about three 

 miles distant from Belfast, on the 23rd of December, 1847. It 

 came under my examination within an hour after being killed, 

 when the following description was drawn up : — 



iu. lin. 



Length (total) from point of bill to eud of tail . . . 10 6 



of bill above 11 



„ „ to rictus ....... 1 6 



„ of wing fi-om carpus ....... 9 2 



„ of tarsus ........ 1 



„ of middle toe exclusive of nail ..... 1 



" Forehead, cheeks, and a [small] space beliind the eyes pure 

 white" (Jenyns, p. 271). All the under plumage of a beautiful 

 roseate tint ; a spot at the anterior angle of the eye black ; oc- 

 ciput, nape, and ear-coverts dark-grey of different shades, 

 darkest or blackish-grey on ear-coverts ; upper part of the 

 body and wings pale bluish-ash ; plumes beautifully firm in tex- 



* In an article on Gidls, published in the ' Irish Penny Journal ' for Sept. 26, 

 1840, and signed " J. E. P." (Capt. Portlock), this little gidl was mentioned. Mr. 

 H. PI. Dombrain, in ' Saunders's Newsletter ' of December 4, 1840, alluded to his 

 having noticed the occurrence of the bird previous to Capt. Portlock, but without 

 statiuK where. 



