i* 



*x 



• 



'; 



30 North American Birds Eggs. 



48. Slaty-backed Gull. Larus schifitisagus. 

 Ran, ye.— North racitic and Arctic Oceans. 



Tliis Gull, which is similar to the Great Black-backed, but is smaller 

 and has a lighter mantle, does not breed in any consideral)le numbers on the 



American side of the 



^^^^^_^ Pacitic, It nests in 



.^^j**"* >■'*"' '• si^— ■ June on some of the 



.^' ^0^^ ,^ islands in Bering Sea 



W - '" and probably more 



/: ■ - - ^ commonly farther 



north. They often 



nest in company with 



other species, placing 



their small mounds of 



seaweed on the ground 



on the higher parts of 



the islands. The full 



set contains three eggs 



of grayish or brownish 



color, spotted with dark 



> J= brown or black. Size 



-^^ N *, • - 2.90 X 2. Data.— Har- 



. -^ — ^- rowbv Bay, N. W. T. 



^^ *" — Canada, June 11,1901. 



\ Nest of grass, roots and 



^^ (Gray. J mud and lined with 



^^^^ cli'y grass ; on point 



^^ ^ making into the bay. Collector, Capt. H. H. Bodtish. 

 "^ 49. Western Gull. Lanis orridentalis. 



— __ Range.- Pacific Coast, breeding from southern California to British Columbia, 



— This bird, which is the most southerly distributed of the larger 



-- "" is twenty-four inches in length. Mantle slate colored : primaries 

 both these and the secondaries being broadly tipped with white. 

 These Gulls nest abund- 

 antly on the Farallones, 

 the majority of them 



showing a preference for ,.,.-■ ■ » ~ ' - ^ 



the lower portions of the 

 island, although they 

 nest on the ledges also. 

 Besides man, these Gulls 

 are the greatest enemies 

 that the Murres have to 

 contend against. They 

 are always on the watch 

 and if a Murre leaves its 

 nest, one of the Gulls is 

 nearly always ready to 

 pounce upon the egg and 

 carry it away bodily in 

 his bill. They also 

 devour a great many 

 young birds. The Gulls 

 too suffer when the eggers 

 come, for their eggs are 

 gathered up with the Murres for the markets. They make their nests of weeds 

 and grass, and during May and June lay three eggs showing the usual variations 

 of color common to the Gulls eggs. Size 2.75 x 1.90. Data. — Farallone Is., Cal., 

 June 20, 1897. Nest a mass of Farallone weed on a ledge. 



Gulh 

 black. 



.<i 



'^' 



^ 



[Pale greenish buff. J 



