Page:The birds of America, volume 7.djvu/237

Rh inches. The eggs of this Gull are pale purplish-grey, with scattered spots of umber-brown, and subdued lavender-purple."

My figures were taken from specimens kindly presented to me by my friend Captain James Clarke Ross, R. N.

Larus glaucus, Bonap. Syn., p. 361.

Larus glaccus, Burgomaster Gull, Swains, and Rich. F. Bor. Amer., vol. ii. p. 416. Glaucous Gull or Burgomaster, Nutt. Man., vol. ii. p. 306.

Claccous Gull or Burgomaster, Larus glaucus, And. Orn. Biog., vol. v. p. 59.

Adult, 30; wing, 19^.

Met with in Labrador in summer. Baffin's Bay and Arctic Seas gene- rally. Not observed within the limits of the United States.

Adult Male.

Bill shorter than the head, stout, compressed, higher near the end than at the base. Upper mandible with the dorsal line nearly straight for half its length, declinate and arched towards the end, the ridge convex, the sides very rapidly sloping and slightly convex, the edges sharp and somewhat inflected, the tip rather obtuse. Nasal groove rather long and narrow; nostrils in its fore part, lateral, longitudinal, linear-oblong, wider anteriorly, pervious. Lower mandible with the angle long and narrow, the outline of the crura decurved toward their junction, where there is a prominence, beyond which the outline ascends and is slightly concave, the sides erect and nearly flat, the edges sharp and a little inflected.

Head large, ovato-oblong, narrowed anteriorly. Neck of moderate length, strong. Body full. Feet of moderate length, rather slender; tibia bare for three-quarters of an inch; tarsus somewhat compressed, covered anteriorly with numerous much curved scutella, laterally with angular scales, behind with numerous small rectangular scales; hind toe very small and elevated, the fore toes of moderate length, slender, the fourth longer than the second, the third longest, all scutellate above, and connected by reticulated entire membranes, the lateral toes margined externally with a thick narrow mem- brane. Claws small, slightly arched, depressed, rounded, that of the middle toe with an expanded thin inner margin.

The plumage is very full, close, elastic, soft, and blended, on the back somewhat compact. Wings very long, rather broad, acute; the first quill scarcely two-twelfths of an inch shorter than the second, which is longest, the rest of the primaries rapidly graduated; secondaries broad and rounded. Tail of moderate length, nearly even, being slightly rounded, of twelve broad rounded feathers.

Bill gamboge-yellow, with a carmine patch towards the end of the lower ]