1Ü8 BLACK-HEADED, OR LAUGHING GULL.
second much shorter than fourth, third two-twelfths of an inch longer
than the latter; anterior toe.« eonneStéd by reticulated woks, the outer
and inner slightly margínate ; claws small, slightly arched, compressed,
thin-edged, that of the middle toe with an expanded inner margin.
Plumage close, softy and Wended. Wings yery long and pointed ;
primaries tapering to a rimnded point ; first longest, second a twelfth
of aii inch shorter, the rest rapidly diminishing ; :i|$®ndari:es broad,
inenrvato, and obliquely rounded, the inner straight' and more elongated.
Tail iiSf moderator length, even, of twelve broad, rounded
feathers.
Bill and feet, as well as tin; margin of eycli.ls, and the inside of themouth,
of a riS; deep carmine ¡ claws brownish-black. Iris bluishblack.
The head and a portion of the upper part of the neck all
round, blackish lead-grey, diu-ker i n the upper part of the head and
along the posterior margin, which descends lower in front, or to the
extent of about two indu* and a half from tlu: base of the lower mandible
; two narrow white bands bordering th-e:, upper and lower eyelids.
Lower neck all round, thé whole; l iwe r surface,, the rump and tail, pure
•white ; but the fore part of the neck and the breast, down to the legs, of
a beautiful light rosy tint. The back and wings are greyish-blue,
with ayerysligiit tinge of purple, excepting a large terminal portion
of the secondaries, and the tips of the primaries, which are
white. The first primary is black, with a tinge of grey on the inner
web at the: -base ; the second and third similar, with the grey
more extended; on the fourth it extends oyer two-thirds; the-fifth is:
black only for an inch and a half;, and on the sixth the black is reduced
to two spots near the end ; the other parts and the remaining
primaries of the same general colour as the back.
Length to end of tail 1" inches, to end of wings 20, to end of claws
17 ; extent of wings 40j ; wing from flexure 12jjj ; tail Sf i ; bill along
the ridge along the edge of lower mandible 2 | ; tarsus 2 j l ¡ iM toé
and claw ; middle toe: and claw I ft ; outer toe and claw 1 | ; inner
toe and claw l-,s
2.
The female is precisely similar to thé: male, but considerably
.smaller.
I n winter the head is white, the feathers on its upper part and on.
the nape more or less brownish-grey 'in their concealed part, that colour
appearing in slight patches here and there, and especially along
BLACK-HEADED OE LAUGHING GULL. 129
the posterior margin of the part that is coloured in summer, as well as
on a small space before the « p . The rosy tint of the breast disappears
after the breeding season. In other respects the plumage is as
in summer.
Young fully .fledged. . Plate CCCXIY. Fig. 2. . .
Bill, feet, inside of mouth, and edges of eyelids, oliyaceous brown.
The upper-parts are brownish-grey, the feathers edged with paler;
the hind part pf the back light bluish-grey ; upper tail-<$,yerts 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
are ¡destitute of white at the tip. A smaller patch before
the eye, two slight bands on the eyelids, and the throat, greyish-white :;
the lower part of the nock brownish-grey, the rest of the lower parts
greyish-wh|e,;jth? sides darker, the-axiUars ash-grey, the lower surface
of the wing dusky-grey.
In an amiltmale, thetongue is 1± inch long, slender, tapering, emar- .
ginate at the b ^ e , with minute papillae,: the tip horny along the back.
The «esophagus is (¡1 inches long, 5 twelfths in diameter until it enters
the thorax, then dilates to 1 inch and 5 twelfths; its walls iire extremely
thin, its inner c a t longitudinally plaited. Proyentricultis very short,
the belt of oblong glandules being only 7 twelfths in breadth. Stomach
rather small, oblong, 1J inch long, 10 twelfths broad;,.its lateral
muscles rather thick, ill«.- tendons large; the inner poaf.thick, horny,
and thrown into very prominent longitudinal rug«, its upper margin,
abrupt, and manifestly not-continuous with the inner coat, of the proventriculus,
as some have supposed the epithelium to be in all birds.
In the stomach remains of fished Intestines, 1 foot 9 | inches*long, its
general diameter j inch. Rectum l i inch ; eoeca extremely small, 2 |
twelfths l&ijpii twelfth in diameter.
Trachea 5J inches long;' its rings 110, extremely thin and feeble;
its diameter at the top 4J twelfths, at the lower part 2^ twelfths, The
lateral museles: are scarcely perceptible, the sterno-tracheal very
s l e n d e r ; the inferior larynx small ; the bronchi of moderate length
and width, with 25 half-rings.
' VOL. IV. .' ' r v • 1