92 



PALMIPEDES. 



Family LAIilD^. f Bonaparte.) 



Genus Larus. ( LinncBUS.J 



Generic Characters. — Beak long or middle-sized, strong, hard, 

 compressed, with cutting edges, curved towards the point, 

 the inferior mandible forming a projecting angle. l^ostrils 

 lateral, in the middle of the beak, split longitudinally, narrow, 

 pierced from side to side. Feet slender; naked above the 

 knee; tarsi long; three toes in front, entirely webbed; the 

 hind toe free, short, and articulated very high on the tarsus. 

 Tail with quills of equal length. Wings long, the first primary 

 a little longer than the second. 



AUDOUIN'S GULL, 



Larus cmdouinii. 



Larus audouinii, Payeodeau; Ann. des Societ. 



Nat., 1826. 

 Goeland audouin, Of the Fkench. 



Buntschnahlige Move, Of the Germans. 

 Gahhiano Corso, Of Savi. 



Specific Characters. — Wings very long, passing a considerable 

 distance beyond the end of the tail; beak strong; feet black; 

 middle toe much shorter than the tarsus; most frequently two 

 transverse bands on the beak. Length eighteen to twenty 

 inches; tarsus two inches. 



