THE BRITISH LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL. 759 



rather more white and less streaked, mantle and scapulars more 

 grey-brown with less black-brown, many feathers having only 

 central black-brown mark of varying size. 



Second winter. — Crown and neck streaked much as adult 

 winter but base of neck with more dark brown ; mantle, scapulars, 

 and back dull slate-grey (with varying amount of brown tinge) to 

 grey-brown with black-brown mesial streaks on some mantle- 

 feathers, scapulars usually browner with varying black-brown 

 centres and brown mottlings and with pale brown, dull white or 

 pale grey tips ; rump and upper tail-coverts white with varying 

 number of brown bars and spots ; (upper -parts are sometimes 

 mostly slate-grey as adult) ; throat and upper-breast white lightly 

 streaked brown, rest of under -parts considerably mottled, and 

 flanks and under tail-coverts barred, brown ; tail much as juvenile 

 and often indistinguishable but usually with black subterminal 

 band rather narrower and more white at base but varying (con- 

 siderably more black than in 2nd winter Herring-Gull) ; primaries 

 as in juvenile but inner feathers with rather whiter tips and some- 

 times with paler brown streak on outer webs ; secondaries with 

 pale brown inner webs, black-brown outer webs, tipped and fringed 

 brownish -white and innermost feathers with brownish-white 

 mottled subterminal band ; primary-coverts brown-black with 

 paler tips ; greater coverts pale brown, outer webs dark brown 

 fringed or mottled pale brown to whitish-brown ; median and lesser 

 coverts with pale brown fringes and bases and dark brown centres 

 (more uniform than in 1st winter). N.B. — Sometimes a few slate- 

 grey wing-coverts and innermost secondaries are acquired. Two 

 birds dated April from Angola were in full moult (inner primaries 

 in one and outer in the other growing) ; new plumage was that of 

 2nd winter. Normal period appears to be June to Oct. Second 

 summer. — Head and neck mostly white with or without varying 

 number of pale brown streaks, mantle more uniform slate-grey, 

 rump white, a few brown bars on upper tail-coverts, under-parts 

 mostly white with few brown marks or bars, wing-coverts much 

 worn and tips whiter than winter. 



Third winter. — Like adult but hind-neck usually more marked 

 brown ; mantle, scapulars, and wing-coverts more or less tinged 

 brown (varying considerably) ; upper-breast, flanks and under 

 wing-coverts with varying amount of brown marks but sometimes 

 none ; tail sometimes white, sometimes considerably mottled and 

 with fine wavy bars of brown-black ; 2nd primary with small white 

 subterminal band and sometimes none, 3rd only very rarely with 

 " mirror " ; primary -coverts varying brown -black tipped grey or 

 pale brownish to grey more or less marked black ; secondaries 

 sometimes as adult but usually with blackish streaks especially on 

 inner feathers and sometimes much as second winter but more 

 tinged grey. Third summer. — Head, neck and under-parts white 

 as adult and grey of upper-parts not so tinged with brown as in 

 winter. 



