109 
Beak moderate, strong, bard, cylindri- 
cal, cultrated, compressed, and curved, 
hooked at the point, upper mandible co- 
vered with a cere, lower forming a pro- 
jecting angle. Nostrils, towards the point 
of the beak, diagonal, narrow, closed be- 
hind, pervious. Legs slender, naked above 
the knee, tarsus long, three toes before 
entirely webbed, the back toe very small, 
and on a level with the front toes. Claws 
large, and much hooked. Tail slightly 
rounded, its two middle feathers always 
longer than the others. Wings moderate, 
the first quill the longest. 
The Gull tribe appears to be numerously 
dispersed over every quarter of the globe, 
and is met with, at certain seasons, in some 
parts, in such multitudes, that the whole 
surface of the ground is covered with their 
dung, and their eggs are gathered by the 
inhabitants in prodigious numbers. They 
assemble together in a kind of mixed flocks, 
consisting of various kinds, on the sea- 
shores; some running, some flying, and 
others alighting ; the beach and the downs 
