132 
LAKID.E. 
at night, leaving the breeding-place early in the morning 
for the purpose of feeding ; but when the weather is wet or 
cold it remains on the eggs and takes care of them also during 
the day: most probably the male and female perform this 
duty by turns. 
The food of the Laughing Gull consists principally in 
insects, small fish, and Crustacea. 
The Laughing Gull measures eighteen inches in length. 
In summer the adult bird has the head and upper part 
of the neck lead colour; the lower part of the neck, and 
all the under parts white, with a tinge of red in the living 
bird, but in stuffed specimens this tinge or bloom disappears 
entirely; the back, scapulars, and wing coverts are bluish 
grey; the secondaries have white tips. The quill-feathers 
are slate-colour at the base and inner webs, and black at 
their tips, with a white spot at the extreme point. The 
beak, legs, and feet are brownish red; the eyes dark 
brown. 
The winter plumage, according to Temminck, is as fol¬ 
lows : the forehead, top of the head, throat, and all the 
under parts pure white ; before the eye is a crescent-shaped 
spot of blackish grey—this mixed cinereous tint covers also 
the occiput, the hinder part of the nape, and the ear-coverts ; 
the flanks are slightly tinged with cinereous ash-colour ; the 
back and scapulars deep bluish ash; the secondaries broadly 
edged with white; the primaries black, with a white tip. 
Our plate was drawn from Montagu’s specimen in the 
British Museum, and differs only from the winter plumage 
described by Temminck, in having the blackish grey on the 
occiput, nape, and ear-coverts, interspersed with white. 
