LAETD.E — THE GULLS AND TERNS — LARUS. 223 



distinguished by the very diflferently shaped bill, the paler color of the mantle, and the totally different 

 markings of the primaries. It is, in fact, much more closely allied to the larger race of L. aryentatus. 

 the principal ditl'erence consisting in the brownish gray, and much more restricted, instead of black, 

 spaces on the primaries. In all examples of L. arrjentatus we have been able to examine, the Ijlack 

 portion of the prinraries involves a considerable portion of the inner webs ; but in the present bird 

 the darker color is confined almost entirely to the outer web, the inner webs being pale pearl-gi-aj^, 

 like the mantle, and fading into white at the end of the quills. 



It is barely possible that this specimen may represent a very old arrjentatus with the black 

 faded to brownish gray, and unusually restricted on account of great age ; but nntil this can be 

 proven we prefer to keep it separate. At any rate, Larus Nelsoni ajjparently holds exactly the 

 same relation to Lams argcntatus Smithsonianus that L. Kumlieni does to the smaller race of the 

 Herriu' Gull. 



Larus glaucescens. 



THE GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULL. 



Larus glatccescens, Naum. Naturg. Vog. Deutschl. X. 1840, 351. — Lawr. in Baird's B. N. Am. 1858, 

 842. — Baird, Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, no. 657. — CouES, Pr. Ac. Nat. Sci. Philad. 1862, 295 ; Key, 

 1872, 311; Check List, 1873, no. 545 ; 2d ed. 1882, no. 770 ; B. N. W, 1874, 623. — Saunders, 

 P. Z. S. 1878, 167. — RiDGW. Xom. N. Am. B. 1881, no. 662. 



Larus {Glaiicus) glaucopterus, "Kittlitz," Bruch, J. f. 0. 1853, 101. 



"Larus clml copter us," Lawr. in Baird's B. N". Am. 1858, 843 (not of Lirirr. 1854). — Baird, Cat. 

 K. Am. B. 1859, no. 659. — CouES, Pr. Ac. Nat. Sci. Philad. 1862, 295. 



Hab. North Pacific coast of North America, from Washington Territory to Alaska. 



Sp. Char. Adult, in summer : Mantle delicate pearl-blue (deeper than in leueopterus') ; prima- 

 ries similar, becoming slightly darker (the fourth and fifth abruptly) terminally, all abruptly tipped 

 with white ; the outer quill with the tip and a space of an inch or more in extent anterior to a 

 subterminal deep ashy spot white ; the sixth with a broad subterminal bar of deep ash, preceded 

 and followed by white spaces. Rest of the plumage, including almost all the exposed portion 

 of the secondaries, snow-white. Adult, in icinter : Similar, but head and neck clouded (!) with 

 sooty grayish. Young, first plumage : Prevailing color deep ash-gray, nearly uniform below, re- 

 lieved above by a coarse irregular spotting of grayish white, or pale dull buff, the head and neck 

 indistinctly streaked. Primaries and rectrices pale brownish gray, with somewhat of a glaucous 

 cast. Bill wholly dusky, brownish basally ; legs and feet lu'ownish. Young, first winter : ]\Iantle 

 mixed brownish ash and pearl-blue ; primaries and tail uniform brownish ash-gray ; head, neck, 

 and lower parts grayish white, clouded with brownish gray, the lower surface nearlj^ uniform 

 brownish gray. Bill yellowish on basal half and tip, the intermediate portion dusky black ; legs 

 and feet pale brownish (in skin). 



Wing, 16.25-17.30 (average, 16.92) inches ; tail, 7.50-8.25 (7.81) ; culmen, 2.20-2.60 (2.42) ; 

 depth of bill through angle, .80-90 (.82) ; tarsus, 2.35-2.90 (2.62) ; middle toe, 2.05-2.45 (2.25). 

 (Six adults.) 



In this species the form of the bill approaches decidedly to that so characteristic of L. occi- 

 dentedis and L. dominicanus, the angle being very prominent and the depth through the base 

 proportionally narrow. 



Tliis large and handsome Gull bears a very close resemblance to, and is very nearly 

 as large as, the Burgomaster Gull of the Atlantic coasts. It appears to replace that 

 species in the southern portions of the Pacific waters. It is found on the northeastern 

 coasts of Asia, and on the entire Pacific coast of Korth America almost as far south 

 as the Mexican line. In most respects its habits appear to bear a very close resem- 

 blance to those of the glaucus, but it is not so exclusively northern as that species. 

 It is abundant along the Arctic Ocean as far to the west as the Mackenzie Eiver, 

 along the banks of which it was found by Mr. Eoss. It w^as met with on the shores 



