756 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



saw a vole, which had taken to the water, picked up and swallowed 

 after a long struggle. 



Distribution. — England. — One obtained, three seen. One shot 

 Breydon (Norfolk) Nov. 4, 1886 (T. Southwell, Zool, 1897, p. 572). 

 One seen Dover (Kent) April 18, 1904 (N. C. Rothschild, Bull. 

 B.O.C., xiv, p. 91). One seen Fair Isle (Shetlands) Sept. 28, 1921 

 (W. E. Clarke and J. H. Stenhouse, Scot. Nat., 1921, p. 180). One 

 seen Formby shore (Lanes.) Feb. 10, 1918 (H. W. Robinson, Scot. 

 Nat., 1922, p. 16). 



Distribution. — Abroad. — Breeds from Black and Caspian Seas 

 through west Asia to Lake Baikal. According to Buturlin also in 

 White Sea, Gulf of Finland, and Lake Onega ; according to Lonn- 

 berg has recently occurred and bred (not rarely) in eastern Sweden. 

 Birds breeding in Mediterranean appear to be separable (L. a. 

 michahellesii). 



LARUS FUSCUS 



454. Larus fuscus fuscus L.— THE SCANDINAVIAN LESSER 

 BLACK-BACKED GULL. 



Larus fuscus Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., ed. x, i, p. 136 (1758 — Europe. 

 Restricted, typical locality : Sweden). 



Description. — Adult male and female. Winter and summer. — 

 Like L. f. afjinis but head and neck in winter considerably less 

 streaked and sometimes without streaks ; mantle, scapulars, back 

 and wing-coverts much darker and like L. marinus slate-black, 

 becoming browner black when worn ; primaries more uniform 

 brown-black usually only a little paler and browner on inner webs 

 and paler wedge very ill-defined, subterminal white on 2nd usually 

 more restricted and only rarely a white mirror on 3rd ; secondaries 

 brown-black broadly tipped white ; primary-coverts brown-black. 

 Moult to winter appears to be rather later than in L. f. affinis. 



Nestling. — (Not examined.) 



Juvenile and first winter. — Not to be distinguished from L. f. 

 affinis. First summer. — New feathers of mantle rather darker than 

 in L. f. affinis. Body-moult (as in L. argentatus) only partial, 

 varying number of juvenile feathers being retained, no moult 

 wings or tail. 



Second winter and sum^mer. — As L. f. affinis but mantle, 

 scapulars, back and wing-coverts much darker slate-black, tinged 

 brown and becoming browner when worn, secondaries darker 

 especially on inner webs. 



Third winter and summer. — As adult but head and neck more 

 streaked and flanks streaked hi winter, tail usually mottled and 

 clouded with black, secondaries with duller white tips and primaries 

 with duller and much smaller whitish tips. 



Measurements and structure. — <£ wing 420-450 mm., tail 145- 



