Part 154

Bill moderately stout, and with the feet, margin of eyelids, and inside of mouth deep carmine; wings extending three inches beyond the tail, which is even; head and upper neck all round blackish lead-grey, darker on the upper part of the head and along the posterior margin, which descends lower in front, or to the extent of about two inches and a half from the base of the lower mandible; two narrow white bands bordering the upper and lower eyelids; lower neck all round, the whole lower surface, rump and tail white, but the fore part of the neck and the breast down to the legs, of a beautiful light rosy tint; back and wings greyish-blue, with a slight tinge of purple, excepting a large terminal portion of the secondaries, and the tips of the primaries, which are white; first primary black, with a tinge of grey on the inner web at the base; second and third similar, with the grey more extended; the fourth with it extending over two-thirds, the fifth black only for an inch and a half, on the sixth the black reduced to two spots near the end; the other parts and the remaining primaries of the same general colour as the back. Female similar, but considerably smaller. In winter, the head white, the feathers on its upper part and the nape more or less brownish-grey in their concealed part, that colour appearing in slight patches here and there, and especially along the posterior margin of the part that is coloured in summer, as well as on a small space before the eye; in other respects the plumage as in summer, but without the rosy tint. Young, when fledged, with the bill, feet, inside of mouth, and edges of eyelids olivaceous brown; upper parts brownish-grey, the feathers edged with paler; hind part of back light bluish-grey; upper tail-coverts nearly white; tail pale greyish-blue, with a broad band of brownish-black at the end, the extreme tips narrowly edged with white, the outer margin of the lateral feathers of the same colour; the first four primaries destitute of white at the tip; a small patch before the eye, two slight bands on the eyelids, and the throat, greyish-white; lower part of neck brownish-grey; the rest of the lower parts greyish-white, the sides darker, the axillars ash-grey, lower surface of wing dusky grey.

Adult, 17, 40-3/4.

Most abundant from Texas to Massachusetts, breeding along the coast. Up the Mississippi to New Orleans. Those which in spring remove to the eastward of the Floridas return early in autumn.

Black-headed Gull, Larus ridibundus, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. ix. p. 89.

Larus atricilla, Bonap. Syn. p. 359.

Black-headed Gull, Nutt. Man. v. ii. p. 291.

Black-headed or Laughing Gull, Larus atricilla, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iv. p. 118.

445. 5. Larus Franklinii, Richardson. Franklin's Rosy Gull.

Not figured.

"Bill rather stout, and with the feet vermilion; mantle pearl-grey; wings an inch and a half longer than the tail, which is even; five exterior quills barred with black, the first one tipped with white for an inch; tarsus twenty lines long; hood black in summer. Both eyelids, the neck, rump, tail, and whole under plumage white, the latter and interior of the wings deeply tinged with peach-blossom red; black hood covering three-quarters of an inch of the nape, and extending as much lower on the throat; mantle and wings bluish-grey; the outer web of the first quill-feathers is black to near the top, and a broad band of the same crosses the ends of the five outer primaries; all the quill-feathers are terminated with white, that of the first primary and of all the secondaries being upwards of an inch long; all the shafts whitish."

Male, 17, wing, 11.

Interior of Fur Countries, breeding on the edges of large lakes.

Larus Franklinii, Franklin's Rosy Gull, Swains. & Rich. F. Bor. Amer. v. ii p. 424.

Franklin's Rosy Gull, Larus Franklinii, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. v. p. 323.

446. 6. Larus tridactylus, Linn. Kittiwake Gull.

Plate CCXXIV. Adult and Young.

Bill moderately stout, greenish-yellow; feet black, with the hind toe rudimentary, and furnished with a minute knob in place of the claw; head, neck, rump, tail, and lower parts pure white; back and upper surface of wings light greyish-blue; the first five quills black at the end, the first on its outer web also; the fifth with a small white tip; the tips of all the other quills more or less white. Young in its second plumage with the bill and feet black; hind head and neck bluish-grey; a semilunar blackish mark before the eye; tips of auriculars dark grey; forehead, sides of head, throat, and lower parts, white, as are the rump and tail, the latter with a broad terminal band of black; mantle bluish-grey, with a broad band of black crossing the lower part of the hind neck; larger wing-coverts of the same colour toward the end; primary quills black, more or less margined with white internally.

Adult, 18, 36-1/2.

Common as far south as New York. Abundant from Massachusetts eastward. Breeds from the Bay of Fundy northward.

Larus tridactylus, Bonap. Syn. p. 359.

Larus tridactylus, Kittiwake, Swains. & Rich. F. Bor. Amer. v. ii. p. 423.

Kittiwake, Nutt. Man. v. ii. p. 298.

Kittiwake Gull, Larus tridactylus, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iii. p. 186.

447. 7. Larus eburneus, Gmel. Ivory Gull.

Plate CCLXXXVII.

Bill moderately stout, yellow, feet black; wings an inch and a half longer than the tail; plumage pure white. After the second moult, the bill dusky for two-thirds, yellow at the end, feet black; plumage white, the forehead and sides of the head mottled with leaden-grey, most of the wing-coverts with, a greyish-black spot towards the end; the quills, large coverts, and tail-feathers similarly marked, the markings on the tail forming a subterminal bar.

Adult, 19, 41.

Accidental on the coast of the United States. Common in winter in Labrador and Newfoundland. Breeds in high latitudes.