418 
BIRDS or BRITISH BUKMAH. 
the bill yellowish orange, the remainder dark brown ; iris greyish brown ; 
legs and toes orange, the webs duller; claws black. 
Length 18*5 inches, tail 5, wing 13*3; tarsus 2, bill from gape 2*4, middle 
toe and claw 1'9. The tail is square. 
The Brown-headed Gull is a common winter visitor to all parts of the 
coast of British Burmah. It ascends the larger rivers to a considerable 
distance, being found on the Sittang river as high as Tonghoo. 
This Gull is found in Burmah from the end of October to the middle of 
April, at which latter period birds in full summei* plumage are not un- 
common. 
It occurs in winter over the whole of India, as far west as Scinde and 
south to Ceylon, and it is also met with in China and Cochin China. It 
appears to breed on the lakes north of the Himalayas, for Dr. Henderson 
observed it on the Pangong Lake in July. 
This Gull is found as frequently on rivers and inland waters as on the 
coast. It is a very abundant species on all the tidal streams of Southern 
Pegu, flying about both singly and in large flocks. During the day, like 
most other Gulls, it is fond of sitting on the water. 
Mr. Howard Saunders, when looking over my large series of this Gull, 
observed that all the birds which were sexed as males had some black on 
both sides the web of the seventh primary forming a bar ; those sexed as 
females, on the other hand, had the black only on the inner web. This 
of course may not prove a constant point of distinction between the sexes; 
but it would be interesting to have it confirmed or disproved, and observers 
who have the opportunity of shooting these birds should direct their atten- 
tion to the matter. 
767. LARUS RIDIBUNDUS. 
THE LAUGHING GULL. 
Lartis ridibundus, Linn. Syst, Nat, i. p. 225 ; Huiiie^ S, F, i, p. 278 ; Ih'cssev ^ 
Birds Eur. viii. p. 357, pi. ; Saunders, P. Z. S. 1878, p. 200, f. 12 ; Hume, S. F. 
viii. p. 115. Xema ridibunda, Jerd. B. hid. ii. p. 832; Bl. B. Burm, p. 162. 
Ghroicocephalus ridibundus, David et Oust. Ois. Chine, p. 520. 
Description. — Male a?id female in summer. The whole head and upper 
part of the neck chocolate-brown ; remainder of the neck, the whole lower 
plumage, upper tail-coverts and tail pure white ; primary- coverts white; 
back, rump, upper wing-coverts, scapulars, secondaries and tertiaries ashy; 
first primary white, edged with black on the inner web, tipped with black 
