LAUGHING GULL. 
161 
forked, and consists of twelve feathers, the two exterior 
ones four inches longer than those of the middle, the 
whole of a deep black, except the two outer feathers, 
which are white, but towards the extremities a little 
blackish on the inner vanes; legs and webbed feet, 
black ; hind toe, short. 
The secondary wing feathers are eight inches shorter 
than the longest primary. 
This bird frequently settles on the rigging of ships 
at sea, and, in common with another species, S. stolida , 
is called by sailors the noddy. 
GENUS LXIIX. — LAR US, Linnaeus. 
252 . LAEUS ATRIC1LLA, LINNiEUS. LAEUS EIDIBUNDUS, WILSON. 
LAUGHING GULL. * 
WILSON, PLATE LXXIV. FIG. IV. EDINBURGH COLLEGE MUSEUM. 
Length, seventeen inches; extent, three feet six 
inches ; bill, thighs, legs, feet, sides of the mouth, and 
eyelids, dark blood red ; inside of the mouth, vermilion ; 
bill, nearly two inches and a half long ; the nostril is 
placed rather low ; the eyes are black ; above and below 
each eye there is a spot of white ; the head and part 
of the neck are black, remainder of the neck, breast, 
whole lower parts, tail-coverts and tail, pure white ; 
the scapulars, wing-coverts, and whole upper parts, are 
of a fine blue ash colour ; the first five primaries are 
black towards their extremities ; the secondaries are 
tipt largely with white, and almost all the primaries 
slightly; the bend of the wing is white, and nearly 
three inches long ; the tail is almost even, it consists of 
twelve feathers, and its coverts reach within an inch 
and a half of its tip; the wings extend two inches 
beyond the tail ; a delicate blush is perceivable on the 
breast and belly ; length of tarsus, two inches. 
The head of the female is of a dark dusky slate 
colour ; in other respects, she resembles the male. 
* Named in the plate, Black-headed Gull. 
VOL. III. L 6 
