194- 



LESSEIl BLACK-BACKED GULL. 



(Larus fuscus.) 



La. albus dorsojiisco, "pedibusjtiavis. 



White Gull with a brown back and yellow legs. 



Larus fuscus. Linn.Syst. Nat. 1. 225. Lath. hid. Orn. 2. 815. 



Gotland a pieds jaunes. Temm. man. d'Orn. 496. Id. 2 Edit. 



ii. 767. 

 Gavia grisea. Briss. Orn. 6. 171. 

 Lesser Black-backed Gull. Mont. Orn. Did. 1. and Sttpp. 



This bird is about twenty inches in length ; in its 

 winter state its beak is a citron-colour; with the angle 

 of the lower mandible, the irides and circle of the eyes 

 very clear yellow : the top of the head, space round the 

 eyes, occiput, nape, and sides of the neck white ; each 

 feather marked down its middle with a longitudinal 

 brown stripe : the forehead, throat, the rest of the 

 under parts, the back, and tail pure white : the top 

 of the back, scapulars, the wings, and quills deep 

 black, slightly shaded with bluish : towards the tip 

 of the two outer quills is an oval white spot, and 

 their tip is black ; the rest of the quills have a fine 

 white tip: the secondaries and scapulars are also tipped 

 with white : the legs are clear yellow. The young 

 have the throat and fore part of the neck whitish, 

 striped with clear brown : the neck and under parts 

 are whitish, thickly marked with large deep brown 

 spots : the feathers of the upper parts and of the 

 wings are dusky-brown in the middle, and edged 

 with a straight band of yellowish : the tail-feathers 



