Part 156

451. 11. Larus argentatus, Brunnich. Herring or Silvery Gull.

Plate CCXCI. Adult and Young.

Bill robust, compressed, gamboge-yellow, with an orange-red patch toward the end of the lower mandible; iris silvery-white; feet flesh-coloured; head, neck, lower parts, rump, and tail pure white; back and wings light greyish-blue; edges of wing and extremities of quills white; the first six quills brownish-black towards the end, that colour including the outer webs and the greater part of the inner of the first two, and on the rest gradually diminishing, so as on the sixth merely to form a bar; the first quill with a patch of white about an inch and a half long on both webs near the end, the second with a circular patch on the inner web; the tips of all white. The terminal markings of the outer quills vary. Young with the bill brownish-black, paler at the base of the lower mandible, feet purplish flesh-colour; general colour of plumage light purplish-grey, the upper part of the head darker, the lower parts mottled with pale yellowish-grey; feathers of upper parts and upper tail-coverts irregularly edged and barred with greyish-white; primary quills greyish-black, terminally margined with whitish; tail of the same colour, its base and the outer webs of the lateral feathers irregularly mottled with whitish, the tips brownish-white.

Male, 23, 53. Young, in winter, 18-3/4, 51.

Abundant in autumn, winter, and early spring, from Texas along the whole Atlantic coast to Newfoundland. Breeds from the Bay of Fundy to Melville Island. Common in autumn on the Great Lakes, the Ohio, and Mississippi.

Larus argentatus, Bonap. Syn. p. 360.

Herring Gull, Larus argentatus, Nutt. Man. v. ii. p. 304.

Herring Gull, Larus argentatus, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iii. p. 588; v. v. p. 638.

452. 12. Larus glaucus, Brunn. Glaucous Gull.--Burgomaster.

Plate CCCXCVI. Adult and Young.

Bill stout, compressed, gamboge yellow, with a carmine patch toward the end of the lower mandible; iris yellow; feet flesh-coloured; second quill slightly longer than the first; tail slightly rounded; head, neck, lower parts, rump, and tail pure white; back and wings light greyish-blue; the edges of the wing and a large portion of all the quills toward the end, white. Young when fledged with the bill yellow, in its terminal third black; feet flesh-coloured; plumage very pale yellowish-brown, the feathers of the upper parts with a large dusky spot toward the end, the quills and tail-feathers barred with the same.

Adult, 30; wing, 19-1/2.

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

Larus glaucus, Bonap. Syn. p. 361.

Larus glaucus, Burgomaster Gull, Swains. & Rich. F. Bor. Amer. v. ii. p. 416.

Glaucous Gull or Burgomaster, Nutt. Man. v. ii. p. 306.

Glaucous Gull or Burgomaster, Larus glaucus, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. v. p. 59.

453. 13. Larus marinus, Linn. Great Black-backed Gull.

Plate CCXLI. Male.

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, 29-1/2, 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.