LARID.E — THE GULLS AND TERNS — LAEUS. 



245 



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Hab. The whole of North America ; south (in winter) to Mexico and Cuba. 



Sp. Char. Smaller than L. californicus, the bill more slender, and without red spot, the mantle 

 much paler, the iris yellow, and feet greenish yellow in the adult. Adult, in summer : Mantle pale 

 pearl-blue (much as in L. argentatus, much paler than in L. brachyrhynchus or L. canus), the sec- 

 ondaries and tertials passing terminally into 



pure white. Outer primary black, with a 



white space 1.25 to 1.50 inches long near 

 the end, involving both webs, the shaft, how- 

 ever, black ; second quill similar, but with 

 the white space smaller, and the extreme 

 tip also white ; third, with the basal half 

 pale pearl- gray, and the apical white spot 

 larger ; next, similar, but the subterminal 

 black more restricted, the line of demar- 

 cation between it and the pale pearl-gray 

 still more sharply defined ; fifth, pale pearl- 

 gray, passing terminally into white, but 

 crossed near the end by a wide band of 

 black, about .75 of an inch wide ; sixth quill 

 pale pearl-gray, passing into white termi- 

 nally, and marked near the end by a more 



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Larger form {= BrucJii, Bp?.) 



or less imperfect black spot ; remaining quills pale pearl-blue, passing terminally into white, and 

 without a trace of black. Bill greenish yellow, crossed near the end by a blackish band, the tip 

 sometimes tinged with orange ; rictus and eyelids vermilion-red ; interior of mouth rich orange- 

 red, more intense posteriorly ; iris clear pale yellow ; feet pale yellow, sometimes tinged with green- 

 ish ; claws black.' Adult, in winter: Similar, 

 but the head and neck, except beneath, streaked 

 with brownish gray. Young, first phimage : 

 Above, brownish dusky, the feathers bordered 

 with pale grayish buff ; primaries blackish dusky, 

 the inner quills bluish gray basally, and tipped 

 with white ; secondaries bluish gray on basal 

 half, dusky black terminally where edged with 

 white ; basal two thirds of the tail pale gray, 

 more whitish basally, mottled -with deeper gray- 

 ish ; terminal third dusky black, narrowly 

 tipped with w^hite. Lower parts white, spotted 

 laterally with grayish brown. " Bill black, 

 base of lower mandible and edges of the upper 

 toward the base, livid flesh-color ; edges of eye- 

 lids livid blue ; iris hazel ; feet purplish gray, 

 claws brownish black " (Audubon). 

 culmen, 1.55-1.75 (1.64) ; depth of bill through 



[Sixteen adults.] 



Adult, in summer. 



Wing, 1.3.60-15.75 (average, 14.45) inches 

 angle, .50-.65 (.56) ; tarsus, 1.90-2.45 (2.14) ; middle toe, 1.30-1.60 (1.46) 



This species apjDears to be found nearly througliout North America, though quite 

 irregularly. It breeds in high northern latitudes, on the coast of Labrador, and in 

 the interior; it occurs in winter both on the Atlantic and on the Pacific coast, on 

 the latter as far to the south as Mazatlan, and in the interior as far to the north in 

 summer as Lake Winnipeg. 



Sir John Richardson refers to it as Larus canus, and also as L. zonorhyncJius. In 



1 ''Adult male, in summer : Bill marked opposite the angle with a broad transverse band of brownish 

 black, between which and the base it is light greenish yellow, the tips orange-yellow. Edges of ej'elids 

 greenish yellow ; iris bright yellow. Feet greenish yellow, the webs tinged with orange, claws black " 

 (Audubon). 



