Oedee GAVIJi].] 
[Pam. LARIDJi;. 
LAEUS SCOPELINUS. 
(RED-BILLED GULL.) 
Lams scopulinus, Forst. Descr. Anim. p. 106 (1844). 
Lams novw hoUandice, Gray, Voy. Ereb. and Terr., Birds, p. 18 (1844). 
Lestris scopulinus, Ellinan, Zool. 1861, p. 7472. 
Lams jamesoni, Hutton, Cat. Birds of N. Z. 1871, p. 41. 
Native names. — Tarapunga, Makora, and Akiaki. 
A-d. pileo undique albo ; corpore suprk dare cinereo, tectricibus alarum dorso concoloribus, tectricibus primariorum 
albis versus apicem cinereo lavatis ; primariis nigris, albo apicatis, duobus exterioribus subtermiualiter plagi 
magn4 alba notatis, interioribus plerumque albis intus cinereo lavatis nigro subtermiualiter trausfasciatis : 
secundariis dorso concoloribus : dorso postico cum uropygio caudAque albis : subtiis pure albus, subalaribus 
cinereo lavatis : rostro cruentato, culmine et apice pallidioribus : pedibus pallidius cruentatis : iride argenteo- 
alb9. : annulo opbthalmico cruentato. 
Juv. scapularibus et tectricibus alarum brunneo maculatis et marmoratis : primariis albo minus notatis, secundariis 
conspicue brunneo lavatis. 
Adult. General plumage pure white ; the back, scapulars, and upper surface of wings pale ash-grey anterior 
edge of wings and four of the large outer coverts white ; first primary white at the base, black in its median 
portion, the shaft and then the whole surface becoming white, finally banded near the tip with black ; the 
second similar to the first, but with more white at the base, the inner web being margined with black, the 
median black less extended, and the shaft wholly white, with the same extent of white beyond, but a broader 
subterminal band of black ; the third primary for two thirds of its length white, edged on the inner web 
with dusky black, the rest of the feather black, the white, however, being continued on the shaft till it 
spreads into a paddle-shaped mark on the inner web, about halfway down from the tip, which is also white ; 
the fourth primary white, with the inner web wholly covered towards the base and margined towards the 
end with dusky black, with a subterminal band of black fully an inch in width; on the fifth quill the dusky 
black changes to dark ash-grey, which spreads over both webs towards the base, and the subterminal band 
is about half an inch in breadth ; on the next quill the extent of white is considerably diminished, and the 
subterminal band is not only less in breadth but is interrupted by a shaft-line of white ; the succeeding 
quills and the secondaries are wholly ash-grey, slightly paler at the tips. Irides silvery white ; bill dark 
arterial red, lighter on the ridge and towards the tip ; eyelids and feet pale arterial red, the claws brownish 
black. Length 14'5 inches ; extent of wings 34 ; wing, from flexure, 11-25 ; tail 5; bill, along the ridge 1-23, 
along the edge of lower mandible 1-75 ; bare tibia -5; tarsus 1-75 ; middle toe and claw 1-75. 
Obs. It should be observed that the markings on the primaries vary slightly in different individuals. The 
above description is taken from a fine specimen in perfect plumage. 
In the nuptial season the male birds (if not both sexes) have the plumage of the breast and sides 
suffused with a delicate roseate tint. When the sun is shining on a group of these pretty birds, as they rest 
on the sands, this hue is visible even at a distance of twenty yards or more. 
Young *. The young bird of the first year has the upper wing-coverts shaded and blotched more or less with 
Professor Hutton, in the “Critical Notes ” appended to his ‘Catalogue of the Birds of N. Z.’ (p. 78), says that the 3^oung 
of L. scopulinus is similar in its colours to the adult, whilst the bird he distinguishes as L. jamesoni has brown feathers on the 
