mebiterrajS'Ean black-headed gull. 105 



sions are^ according to the same authority, great diameter 

 forty-fonr to forty-five millemetres, small diameter 

 thirty-five to thirty-five and a half. 



The male and female in breeding plumage have the 

 head and upper half of the neck of a profound black, 

 with the eyelids white; top of the body light lead- 

 colour; inferior half of neck, crop, abdomen, and 

 under tail coverts of a pure white; wing coverts, and 

 basal half of primaries light lead-colour, the rest, just to 

 the point, white; tail pure white; beak, legs, and feet 

 of deep well-marked blood red, with a black transverse 

 band between the point and the angle of the former; 

 the free border of the eyelids dentate, and the colour 

 of red lead; iris dark hazel. 



The winter plumage has been described in the diag- 

 nosis. Beak, legs, and iris as in the spring dress. 



According to Degland, from whom the above des- 

 cription of summer plumage is taken, the young of 

 the year have the head and neck waved with grey 

 and white; top of the body brown, washed with bluish 

 ash, with the borders of the feathers whitish; crop 

 undulated with grey and white, like the neck; abdomen 

 and under tail coverts pure white; wings like the 

 upper parts; primaries black without white tips; tail 

 white, barred with blackish near the end; beak livid 

 at its base, black at its point; legs livid russet brown. 



The figure in light plumage is a female in winter 

 dress, from Malta, marked "Jan. 25, 1858," and kindly 

 sent me by Mr. Tristram. The figure with a dark 

 head is a male in breeding plumage. 



It has also been figured by Stor, Degl. Uccelli, pi. 

 526 and 528, in winter plumage, and 527, in that of 

 spring; Gould, B. of E., pi. 359, in breeding plumage. 



The egg is from Thienemann. 



