Bill robust, compressed, gamboge yellow, with a patch of carmine toward the end of the lower mandible, feet flesh-coloured; head, neck, lower parts, rump and tail, pure white; back and wings deep blackish-purple or dark slate-colour; edges of wing and a large portion of the extremities of all the quills white; the second, third, fourth, and fifth primaries with a broad band of black across their ends. Young when fledged with the bill brownish-black, the iris dark brown, the feet as in the adult; the head and neck greyish-white, streaked with pale brownish-grey; upper parts mottled with brownish-black, brownish-grey, and dull white, the rump paler; primary quills blackish-brown, slightly tipped with brownish-white; tail-feathers white, with a large brownish-black patch towards the end, larger on the middle feathers, which are also barred towards the base with dusky; lower parts greyish-white, sides and lower tail-coverts obscurely mottled with greyish-brown.
Male, 291/2, 67.
Not uncommon during winter as far south as Florida, the young especially. Common from New York to Labrador, where it breeds. Lake Erie, Ontario, the St Lawrence, Ohio, and Mississippi Rivers. Columbia River.
Larus marinus, Linn. Syst. Nat. v. i. p. 225.
Black-backed Gull or Cobb, Nutt. Man. v. ii. p. 308.
Great Black-billed Gull, Larus marinus, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iii. p. 305; v. v. p. 636.
FAMILY XLIII. PROCELLARINÆ. FULMARS.
Bill generally shorter than the head, moderately stout, compressed; upper mandible with the ridge formed of two generally united plates, at the anterior part of which, usually about half the length of the bill, are the nostrils; the sides separated by a groove, the tip a decurved, compressed, pointed unguis; lower mandible with the angle very long and narrow, the tip more or less decurved. Head of moderate size, ovate; neck of moderate length; body compact. Feet of ordinary length, rather slender; tibia bare below for a short space; tarsus little compressed, anteriorly scutellate; toes four, the first extremely small and elevated, with a conical deflected claw; anterior toes webbed; the third and fourth nearly equal. Claws arched, compressed, acute. Plumage full, soft, rather compact above. Wings long, rather broad, pointed, the first quill generally longest. Tail short, of from twelve to sixteen feathers. Œsophagus very wide, often enormously dilated, especially at its lower part, stomach small, moderately muscular; intestine of moderate length; cœca rather long; cloaca oblong or globular. Trachea simple, with a single pair of inferior laryngeal muscles.
GENUS I. LESTRIS, Illiger. JAGER.
Bill shorter than the head, strong, slightly compressed, straight, with the tip curved; upper mandible with the dorsal line nearly straight, toward the tip decurved, the ridge broad and convex, formed by two plates, which overlap the nostrils, the sides narrow and convex, the edges sharp and inflected, the tip or unguis decurved, compressed, acute; nasal groove long, narrow; the nostrils in its fore part medial, lateral, longitudinal, broad before, extremely narrow behind, open and pervious; lower mandible with the angle long and narrow, a slight prominence at its extremity, beyond which the dorsal line is slightly concave, the sides erect, and slightly convex, the edges sharp and inflected, the tip obliquely truncate. Head rather large; neck of moderate length; body rather full. Feet of moderate length, rather stout; tibia bare at its lower part, and rough all round, with small convex scales; tarsus compressed behind and scabrous, anteriorly scutellate; hind toe extremely small and elevated; fore toes of moderate size, connected by convex webs, the third toe longest, the fourth little shorter. Claws strong, much curved, very acute, compressed. Plumage full, soft, blended, on the back rather compact. Wings very long, rather broad, pointed, the first quill longest. Tail of moderate length, or elongated, of twelve feathers, of which the middle are longest. Tongue broadly channelled above, contracted and induplicate toward the end, with the point slit; œsophagus very wide; stomach small, moderately muscular, with the epithelium thin, dense, and longitudinally rugous; intestine rather short and wide; cœca rather long; cloaca oblong.
454. 1. Lestris pomarinus, Temm. Pomarine Jager.
Plate CCLIII. Adult Female.