LARUS, the GULL, in ornithology, a genus belonging to the order of anseres, the characters of which are these: The bill is straight, cultrated, a little crooked at the point, and without teeth; the inferior mandible is gibbous below the apex, the nostrils are linear, a little broader before, and situate in the middle of the back. There are 11 species, principally distinguished by their colour.