LARUS. 421 
purple. On two eggs in the British Museum the markings take the form of streaks 
and lines, which are interlaced and show an intricate pattern ’. 
v 8. Larus atricilla. 
Laughing Gull, Catesby, Nat. Hist. Carol. i. p. 89, t. 89°. 
Larus atricilla, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 2257; Salv. Ibis, 1864, p. 381°; 1865, pp. 188*, 190°; 
1889, p. 379°; Scl. & Salv. P.Z.8 1871, p.5767; Baird, Brewer, & Ridgway, Water- Birds 
N. Amer. ii. p. 254°; Ferrari-Perez, Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus, ix. p.179°; Herrera, La Nat. (2) 
i. pp. 188°, 8329"! ; Stone, Pr. Acad. Phil. 1890, p. 202%; A. O. U. Check-l. N. Amer. 
Birds, 2nd ed. p. 20"; Saunders, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xxv. p. 194"; Oates, Cat. Eggs 
Brit. Mus. i. p. 206”. 
Chroicocephalus atricilla, Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 233°; Coues, Ibis, 1864, p. 388"; Dugés, 
La Nat. i. p. 142°; Lawr. Mem. Bost. Soc. N. i. ii. p. 817"; Bull. U. 8. Nat. Mus. 
no. 4, p. 51; , Sumichr. La Nat. v. p. 284 ?'; Zeledon, Cat. Aves Costa Rica, p. 36”. 
L. franklini similis, et interscapulio saturate schistaceo-cinereo, sed remigibus exterioribus nigris distin- 
guendus: rostro coccineo; pedibus sordide rubris; iride bruonea. Long. tota circa 14:0, ale 12-1, 
caude 4-7, culm. 1:4, tarsi 1:75. (Descr. maris adulti ex Lighthouse Reef. Mus. nostr.) 
Hab. Norru America, Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States, north to Maine and 
Nova Scotia !3.—Mexico, Pacific coast (Mathew !4), Mazatlan ( Grayson § 1°), Manza- 
nillo, Colima (Lloyd +), Guanajuato, Guadalajara (Dugés 18), coasts of the Gulf 
of Tehuantepec, Juchitan, Ventosa, San Mateo (Sumichrast *° 21), Valley of Mexico 
(Herrera © 11), Vera Cruz, Jalapa, Vega de Alatorre (Ferrari-Perez °), Progreso, 
Yucatan (Stone & Baker 2), Cozumel I. (Gawmer *); British Honpuras, Belize ** ®, 
Saddle Cay 3, Lighthouse Reef 4 (0. 8.) ; Guaremata, Atlantic and Pacific coasts 4, 
Chiapam !417, Champerico4® (0. 8.), Vera Paz (Hague ') ; Costa Rica (Zeledon *). 
—Guiana 4; N. Brazin 4; W. coast or America to N. Peru!+; West Inpres *. 
The Laughing Gull is a maritime species, chiefly frequenting the tidal waters on the 
eastern side of North America to the Gulf of Mexico and extending to the West Indies, 
breeding throughout this area!, Salvin found JZ. atricilla common near Belize in 
May, and it is said to nest on the Cays along the coast. In Vera Cruz, Ferrari-Perez 
met with the species at Vega de Alatorre in July ®. On the eastern coast of America 
it ranges in winter to Guiana and Northern Brazil/+; westward the species reaches 
California and the coasts of Mexico. Sumichrast met with this Gull in Tehuantepec 
from August to February 2°, and Herrera says that it comes to the Valley of Mexico 
early in October 1°. We have specimens from both coasts of Guatemala, those from the 
Atlantic in summer plumage, either perfectly or partially assumed, while those obtained _ 
from Chiapam on the Pacific side are in winter or immature dress. 
According to Dr. Brewer, this species breeds in large companies. Audubon says 
that it never travels beyond the tidal waters on the south and east coast of North 
America. It is timid and shy as a rule, but when its breeding-places are attacked it 
becomes very bold in their defence ®. 
