251 
L A R U S. 
others of 4 the genus; and the eggs are two inches and a 
half in length, of a deep olive-brown, marked with irre¬ 
gular deep reddilh blotches. It is a tame fpecies, and 
may be feen by hundreds on the Ihores of the Thames 
and other rivers, in the winter and fpring, at low' water, 
picking up the various worms and fmall fi(h left by the 
tide; and will often follow the plough in the fields con¬ 
tiguous, for worms and infefts which are turned up, par¬ 
ticularly the cockchafer, or dorbeetle, in its larva ftate, 
which it joins with the rooks in devouring molt 
greedily. 
7. Larus cinerarius, the red-legged cinereous gull : 
white} back hoary ; a white fpot behind the eyes. This 
anfwers, in molt refpefts, to the black-cap, or pewit, of 
which it may perhaps be a variety, or elfe the young bird. 
The fore part of the head is white; the fpace round the 
eyes dulky ; from the corner of each eye a broad dulky 
bar, furrounding the hind part of the head 5 behind that 
another, reaching from ear to ear 5 the ends and exterior 
edges of the three firfi: quill-feathers are black; the ends 
and interior fides only of the tw'o next black, but the 
ihafts and middle part white; the tips of the next two 
white, beneath a black bar; the reft, as well as the fe- 
condariee, afh-colour; in other things refembling the 
pewit. Length fifteen inches. 
Of this, though itlelf probably only a variety, two varie¬ 
ties are noted, upon which therefore we lhall not enlarge. 
8. Larus erythropus, the brown-headed gull: whitilh ; 
head brown with white fpots; back hoary; the ten mid¬ 
dle tail-feathers tipped with black. This is alio confi- 
dered to be a variety of the ridibundus. Length fourteen 
inches; breadth two feet eleven inches: weight feven 
ounces. Bill red ; eye-lids fcarlet; neck and belly white; 
back and fcapulars alh-colour; wing-coverts dulky brown, 
edged with dirty white ; the exterior fides, and part of 
the interior of the firft four quills, black ; the tail confifts 
of twelve white feathers ; the ten middle ones tipped with 
black, near an inch broad ; the outer ones plain ; legs red. 
This was killed on the banks of the Elk, at Netherby, the 
feat of fir James Graham. 
9. Larus naevius, the wagel gull: white ; back cine¬ 
reous ; tail tipped with black. This is a large fpecies, 
being near two feet in length, and in breadth about five; 
weight near three pounds. The bill is black, two inches 
and a half long ; irides dulky ; the whole plumage com- 
pofed of a mixed brown alh-colour, and white ; the mid¬ 
dle of each feather is brown; the under parts of the body 
the lame, but paler ; quills black ; the lower part of the 
tail mottled black and white; near the end a bar of black; 
beyond this the end is white ; legs flelh-colour, in fome 
white. This fpecies frequents the fea-lhores of many 
parts of England, though not in any confiderable num¬ 
bers ; at times it is feen on the banks of the Thames, 
along with other gulls; and an opinion is there held, that 
it is the female of the marinus ; but this has not been de¬ 
termined fufficiently by authors. Pennant thinks thexon- 
trary ; and indeed the different markings of the quills and 
tail do not juftify the fuppofition. Others take it to be 
a variety of the fufcus ; and others again of the iridaElylus. 
—Of this alfo three other varieties are noted in Gmelin’s 
Linnaeus. 
10. Larus marinus, the black-backed gull: white; 
back black. Length twenty-nine inches ; breadth five 
feet nine inches; weight near five pounds. The bill is 
itrong and thick, and almolt four inches long; the colour 
a pale yellow; but the lower mandible is marked with a 
red fpot, with a black one in the middle; irides yellow'; 
edges of the eye-lids orange ; head, neck, whole under 
fide, tail, and lower part of the back, white; upper part 
of the back and wings black; quills tipped with white ; 
legs of a pale fielh-colour. This fpecies inhabits feveral 
of the fliores of England, and breeds on the higheft cliffs. 
The egg is blunt at each end, of a dulky olive-colour, 
quite black at the greater end, and the reft of it thinly 
marked with dulky foots. It is alfo common on moft of 
the northern coafts of Europe; frequents Greenland ; but 
chiefly inhabits the diftant rocks. Lays three eggs in 
May, placing them on the heaps of dung which the birds 
leave there from time to time. Cackles like a goofe. It 
is laid to attack other birds, and to be particularly an 
enemy to the eider-duck, though its moft general food is 
filh. It is common in America, as low as South Carolina, 
where it is called the old wife. Alfo found at the Cape of 
Good Hope; but fmaller: it is laid to breed in the bays 
of that promontory, efpecially on the rocks and fmall 
ifles in Falfe Bay. The young are fpotted with brown. 
Parkinfon met with it off the coaft of New Holland ; the 
length not mentioned, but defcribes it as having a high 
yellow beak, a fpot of fcarlet on the gibbous part ; cor¬ 
ner of the mouth, and irides, bright fcarlet; and the legs 
greenifh-yellovv. 
Mr. Pennant obferves, that he has met with, on the 
coaft of Anglefea, a bird that agrees in all refpefts with 
this, except in fize, in wanting the black fpot on the bill, 
and in the colour of the legs, which were of bright yel¬ 
low; the extent of the wings only four feet five inches; 
length twenty-two inches ; weight half a pound ; and that 
the fame has been fhot at Bulftrode in Buckinghamfhire. 
11. Larus ichtliyastus, the great gull: body lnowy; 
head, and as far as the middle of the neck, black; eye¬ 
lids white. This fpecies is about the fize of the barna- 
cle-goole. The bill is of a dulky yellow at the bafe, to¬ 
wards the end crimfon ; the tip yellow, crofted with a 
dulky brown fpot; infide of the mouth red, irides brown; 
tail even and white; legs reddilh brown. It inhabits 
the borders of the Cafpian Sea, and lays'its eggs on the 
bare fand, without the leaft preparation of a neft ; they 
are in lhape of an oblong oval, marked with frequent 
brown fpots, with fome paler ones intermixed. In flying 
it has a hoarfe cry, fomewhat like that of a raven. 
12. Larus fufcus, the herring-gull: white ; back brown ; 
legs yellow. In length twenty-three inches, breadth fif¬ 
ty-two. The bill is yellow ; on the lower mandible an 
orange fpot; irides ftraw-colour; edges of the eye-lids 
red. The herring-gull is common in this kingdom, and 
frequents the fame places as the black-backed. It is faid 
to make a neft of dead grafs, and lays three white eggs 
fpotted with black. It feeds on filh ; and is a great enemy 
to herrings, whence its name; it is a conftant attendant 
on the nets, and fo bold as to feize its prey before the 
filhermen's faces. It is found in moft of the northern 
parts of Europe, as well as about the Cafpian and Black 
Seas, and the rivers which fall into them ; alfo about the 
great lakes of Siberia, in Iceland, Greenland, and Hud- 
Ion’s Bay. In winter it migrates fouth, being found in 
Jamaica, and is faid to breed on fome of the iftands on 
the coaft of South Carolina. Bullock’s Mufeum, Picca¬ 
dilly, contains a Huffed individual of this fpecies, pre- 
fented by the queen : it had lived in her majelty’s park at 
Frogmore nearly two years. 
13. Larus glaucus, the glaucous gull: white; back 
and wings hoary, wing-quills tipped with white; bill 
yellow, laft'ron at the corner. This fpecies is larger 
than the herring-gull. It inhabits Norway, Lapmark s 
Greenland, and Spitzbergen; and is called by the Dutch 
burgmeijler , as being matter of all the fpecies. It builds 
its neft high on the clift's ; preys on dead whales ; attends 
the walruftes, in order to feed on their dung; and will 
deftroy and eat the young of the razor-bill. It is almofi: 
continually on the wing, and makes ?. hoarfe noife like a 
raven. Feeds alfo on fiih and on the berries of the black- 
berried heath. Dr. Fofter mentioned that he met with 
this fpecies both at Terra del Fuegoand New Zealand. 
It is alfo found at Hudfon’s Bay, twenty-three inches in 
length, and four feet in breadth ; but this differs from 
the defcription of Briffon, Jn having fix of the quills 
black at the ends. 
14. Larus argentatus, the filvery gull : bill yellow, 
with an orange lpot ; head and neck white, ltreaked 
downwards with cinereous lines; back and under parts of 
1 tke 
