288 
LARUS. 
and resembling the terns also in their cry. These 
nave been placed in a separate genus, Xenia, which, 
in the general system, may he adopted ; we shall 
here, however, include all under the generic title of 
Larus, deriving our characters from the larger spe- 
cies. These, the True Gulls, have a wide geogra- 
phical range, are almost entirely maritime in habits, 
breed principally on precipitous coasts, have very 
ample powers of flight, and feed on almost any ani- 
mal matter in addition to the living produce of the 
seas. The seasonal change is comparatively slight, 
the head in summer being pure white, in some, 
during winter, streaked with grey along the shafts 
of the feathers. 
Genus Larus. — Linnceus. — Generic characters. 
— Bill strong, cultrated, maxilla with the tip 
sharp and much curved, mandible with a strong 
angle ; nostrils lateral, central, widest anteriorly, 
pervious; wings long, accuminatc; legs central, 
tibise baro for some portion, feet strong, pal- 
mated but formed for walking, hallux articu- 
lated on the tarsus. 
Note . — First di vison or Xema, breed in colonies in- 
land ; insectivorous; decided seasonal change; 
size small. True Gulls, Larus , are maritime, 
gregarious during incubation, no decided sea- 
sonal change; size generally large. 
