744 



A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



rivers of South Russia. Eggs. — 2 or 3, yellowish-stone in ground- 

 colour, boldly streaked and scrawled with dark umber-brown as a 

 rule, but sometimes spotted and blotched. Average size of 55 eggs, 

 77.84x53.64. Max.: 84.5x55.7 and 76.2x57.1. In.: 68x 

 50.2 mm. Breeding -season. — Latter half May to early June. Incuba- 

 tion. — No details, but probably single brooded. 



Food. — Mainly fish, but said also to take reptiles, Crustacea, and 

 orthoptera (locusts ) . 



Distribution. — England. — Two. Adult off Exmouth (Devon), 

 end May or early June, 1859 (F. W. L. Ross, Ann. & Mag. N.H. 

 (3), iv, p. 467). Male adult Jury's Gap (Kent) shot June 25, 1915, 

 and stated to have been seen between Rye and Lydd during May 

 (H. W. Ford-Lindsay, Brit. B., ix, p. 69). 



Distribution. — Abroad. — Breeds easternmost Mediterranean (not 

 Greece) north to Crimea and Sarpa steppe (Volga), east to Caspian 

 and Aral, Suliuk-Kul and Chalkartenis, Irgis and Turgai. Observed 

 (teste Buturlin) elsewhere in Russia, north to Pskov and Kazan, in 

 Asia to Irtish R. Not rarely observed in Egypt to Nubia and Red 

 Sea, on coasts of Persian Gulf and Baluchistan, in India as far as 

 Ceylon, casual Tenasserim, Burmah. Three records for Italy, 

 including Sicily. Statements of occurrence in Switzerland and in 

 Heligoland doubtful. 



LARUS CANUS 



451. Larus canus canus L.- 



THE COMMON GULL. 



i, p. 136 (1758— Europe. Re- 



Lartjs canus Linnseus, Syst. Nat., ed. x 



stricted typical locality : Sweden). 



Larus Hybernus Tunstall, Orn. Brit., p. 3 (1771 — Xame for Pennant's 



Winter Mew, from England). 



Larus canus Linnseus, Yarrell, in, p. 613 ; Saunders, p. 671. 



Description. — Adult male and female. Winter. — Whole head white 

 with thick dark grey streaks on crown and nape, scarcely any on 

 fore-head and lores, fine ones under eyes and on ear-coverts, more 



spot-shaped ones on 

 sides of neck and to- 

 wards centre of lower 

 throat but none on 

 rest of throat or chin ; 

 back of neck (below 

 nape) and upper- 

 mantle ashy - white 

 unspotted ; rest of 

 mantle, back and 

 scapulars blue -grey, 

 tips of longer scapu- 

 lars white ; sides of rump and lower-rump, upper tail-coverts and tail 

 and under-parts including axillaries and under wing-coverts white, 



^n,vv\ 



The Common Gull (Larus c. canus). Adult, winter. 



