428 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY. 



neck pitch-black. Rest of the plumage white, the neck above and the whole under plumage 

 deeply tinged with peach-blossom red in recent specimens. Bill black ; its rictus and the 

 edges of the eyelids reddish-orange. Leys and feet vermilion red ; nails blackish. 



Form. — Bill slender, weak, with a scarcely perceptible salient angle beneath ; the upper 

 mandible slightly arched and compressed towards the point ; the commissure slightly curved 

 at the tip. fVinys an inch longer than the decidedly cuneiform tail *. Tarsi rather stout ; 

 the thumb very distinct, armed with a nail as large as that of the outer toe. 



The other specimen killed by Mr. Sherer a few days later, differs only in the first primary 

 coverts having the same dark colour with the outer web of the first primary itself. 



Dimensions 



Inch. Lin. Inch. Lin. Inch. Lin. 



Length, total . . 14 Length of bill above . 9 Length of tarsus ..11 



,, of tail ..56 ,, of bill to rictus .13 ,, of middle toe . .0 10| 



„ of wing 10 6 ,, from nostrils to tip 4£ ,, of middle nail . 3 



— R. 



[19.3.] 13. Larus Sabinii. (J. Sabine.) Fork-tailed Gull. 



Genus, Larus, Linn. 



Larus Sabinii. Sab. (J.), Linn. Trans., xii., p. 520, pi. 29. Sab. (Capt.), Greenl. Birds, p. 551, No. 23. 



Richards. App. Parry's Second Voy., p. 300, No. 25. 

 Xema Sabinii. Leach. Moss, Voy., App., p. lvii. 

 Erkeet-yuggee-arioo. Esquimaux. 



This interesting species of gull was discovered by Captain Edward Sabine. 

 It was first seen on the 25th of July at its breeding station on some low rocky 

 islands, lying off the west coast of Greenland, associated in considerable numbers 

 with the Arctic Tern, the nests of both birds being intermingled. It is analogous 

 to the Tern not only in its forked tail, and in its choice of a breeding place, 

 but also in the boldness which it displays in the protection of its young. The 

 parent birds flew with impetuosity towards persons approaching their nests, and 

 when one was killed its mate, though frequently fired at, continued on the wing 

 close to the spot. They were observed to get their food on the sea-beach, 

 standing near the water's edge, and picking up the marine insects which were 

 cast on shore. A solitary individual was seen in Prince Regent's Inlet, on Sir 

 Edward Parry's first voyage, and many specimens were procured in the course 

 of the second voyage on Melville Peninsula. Captain Sabine also killed a pair 

 at Spitzbergen, so that it is a pretty general summer visiter to the Arctic Seas, 



* The central tail feathers are an inch longer than the outer ones. — R. 



