THE SPECIES. 



103 



356. Philadelphia, 15 in. 



358. ridibundus, 16 in. 



361. canus, 



18 in. 



23 in. 



27 in. 



28 in. 



32 m. 



Bonaparte's Gull. Head changing from greyish 

 black to white ; back grey ; inner webs of the two 

 outer primaries edged with white. 

 Black-headed Gull. Head changing from dark 

 btown to white ; back grey ; remiges 30 ; outer 

 primaries with white centres ; inner webs edged 

 with black. 



359- melanocepkalus, 17 in. Mediterranean Black-headed Gull. Head 

 black ; back grey ; wings white ; first primary with 

 black line on outer web ; bill red, with a dark band 

 in front of the angle. 



Gull. Head white or spotted with brown ; back 



grey ; primaries brown with white spot ; bill tipped 



with yellow ; legs greenish yellow ; remiges 31. 



Lesser Black -backed Gull. Head white; 



primaries dark brown ; back blackish ; legs bright 



yellow. 



Iceland Gull. All white ; legs and wings very 



long. 



Herring Gull. Head white or spotted with 



grey ; back grey ; bill yellow ; remiges 34 ; legs 



flesh-colour. 



Great Black -headed Gull. Head black; 



white patch round eye ; bill yellow with a black 



bar ; legs greenish yellow. 



Great Black-backed Gull. Head whiter 



back blackish ; remiges 34 ; legs flesh-colour. 



Glaucous Gull. All white ; legs and wings 



rather short. 



The Little Gull — Dimensions, Jq ; Eggs, Kr — is the smallest of the Gulls, and only visits 

 our coasts occasionally. The first specimen on our record was shot on the Thames, at 

 Chelsea. 



Bonaparte's Gull — Dimensions, Mm ; Eggs, Ms — is an occasional straggler from across 

 the Atlantic. It is, perhaps, worth noting that this bird builds its nest in tall trees. 



The Black-headed Gull — Dimensions, Nk ; Eggs, Mt — is best known by its brown head, 

 which is only black by courtesy. It flies buoyantly, with much circling and hovering, spreads 

 its tail, raises its wings, and pats at the water as it drops to its prey. Its call is a varied 

 "hyuk-kak-kah," which has the fancied resemblance to a laugh, from which comes the 

 specific ridibundus^ and the popular " Laughing " Gull. In winter the head is white, with a 

 grey patch round the eye and on the ear coverts. The sexes are alike in plumage. The 

 nest is a mere holldw in a swamp, or on an island j it is lined with a little grass or weed, and 

 contains two or three eggs. 



The Mediterranean Black -headed Gull— Dimensions, Nr ; Eggs, Mk— has been here twice. 



The Gull — Dimensions, Op ; Eggs, Or — is well known for its beautifully buoyant flight, 

 now busily flapping, and now sailing and swaying on its long arched wings, which are mottled 

 with brown below. The first six primaries are grey, brown, and white ; the secondaries aie 

 jjrey and white ; the coverts are all grey ; the first and second primaries are equal, and the 

 longest in the wing. In summer the head is white ; but in winter the head is streaked with 

 brown, and the yellow of the legs darkens considerably. The call is a " kyah," and a laughing 

 " kree." The nest is a large one, usually on a low grassy island, but occasionally on a cliff ; 

 it is made of grass, heather, and seaweed, and shore plants, and contains three eggs. 



The Lesser Black-backed Gull — Dimensions, Pq ; Eggs, Qn — is as common a bird as the 

 last, and can be distinguished from it by the black back and small feet. In winter the white 

 head is streaked with brown. The call is an "ah-ah-ah," and the alarm is "jock." The 

 nest is always on the ground, but at any height above the water ; it is a large ma.>^s of grass 

 and dead leaves, with a little seaweed and other plants ; it contains two or three eggs. 



The Iceland Gull— Dimensions, Qhj Eggs, Re— has occasionally been recorded as a winter 

 visitor. 



The Herring Gull — Dimensions, Qm ; Eggs, Rg — is known, all the year round, all round 

 the coast — flying like a heron, following the herring, and stealing the eggs of every sea bird it 

 meets with. Its outer primaries are mainly black, with a grey wedge down the Inner webs, 

 increasing till the feathers are mainly grey. In winter the head and neck have grey streaks- 





