LAEUS, 315 



it may stand as Stercorarius osiaticus, nobis. In vol. v. of the same 

 journal he points out the differences between L. parasiticus and his 

 Stercorarius asiaticus. 



The following is the description of the species from specimens obtain- 

 ed by him at Pusnee on the Mekran Coast : — 



" The central tail feathers are manifestly imperfectly developedj one 

 projects 0'75 and the other 0'25 beyond the rest of the tail; the bird 

 is obviously in a state of change of plumage, as the two first primaries 

 in each wing are old^ and compai-atively pale brown, with conspicuous 

 white shafts only tinged brownish for about 0'5 immediately above the 

 tips, while all the other primaries are new and very dark brown, 

 almost black, with only the basal half of the shafts white, and even that 

 slightly tinged with brown ; some of the secondaries, scapulars, coverts 

 and feathers of the back are brown ; the same dull pale umber as the 

 first two primaries, and so are two of the tail feathers, while the whole 

 of the rest of the wings and tail are of the same deep blackish brown 

 as the third to the tenth primaries. What is noticeable is, that on the 

 back and scapulars the paler brown feathers have no white tippings, 

 which most probably have worn off, these feathers being the old ones, 

 but all the dark feathers of these parts have narrow brownish white 

 margins. The upper tail-coverts are conspicuously tipped with white, 

 and the longer ones have two very broad slightly rufous or falvous 

 white bars. The forehead, crown and occiput are dull, pale, wood 

 brown, here and there faintly tinged rufescent, the feathers with 

 pretty broad blackish brown central streaks; the lores are greyish 

 white, the feathers narrowly dark centred ; the cheeks, ear-coverts and 

 nape are white, more or less tinged with fulvous or bufFy, with very 

 narrow dark brown shaft-stripes ; the chin and throat white ; the 

 feathers of the base of the neck all round and the breast white, tinged 

 in places fulvous, in places slightly rufescent, with a broad dark brown 

 subterminal transverse bard ; the sides, flanks and lower tail-coverts are 

 white, with broad brown transverse bars, which in some of the lower 

 tail-coverts have a slight rufescent aureola; the abdomen and vent are 

 white, but on the sides of the abdomen there are faint traces of 

 barrings similar to those of the breast and fianks ; the axillaries are 

 broadly barred, with a somewhat greyish brown and greyish white ; 

 the tibial feathers pure brown." 



Length. — 19 inches, expanse 45, tail from vent 6'4, wing 13, bill from 

 front (including cere, which is O?) 1-2, bill from gape 2-02, tarsus 

 1 '8, legs and feet dull black, bill brown, cere pale greenish brown, 

 irides brown. 



Sub-Family, LARIN^.— 1?^-. 



Bill long, straight above, and slightly curved at the tip. 



Gen. Larus. —/>!«. 



Bill moderate, strong, compressed, cultrated, bent down at the tip j 

 lower mandible angled beneath ; nostrils linear, lateral, longitudinal, 

 pervious ; tibia naked ; tarsi moderate ; toes p.ilmated ; hind toe free, 

 short and high on the tarsus ; wings long. 



