6 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol. 124 



gulls die on the islands to which they have wandered. The larger 

 gulls (herring, glaucous, glaucous-winged, slaty-backed) apparently 

 survive longer on the Leeward Islands than do the smaller species 

 (ring-billed, Franklin's, and black-legged kittiwake). Of the 31 speci- 

 mens of larger gulls, only six were found dead (two glaucous gulls 

 and four glaucous-winged gulls). On the other hand, two of the eight 

 smaller gulls (a ring-billed gull and a black-legged kittiwake) were 

 alive when collected, and one of these, the kittiwake, was injured. 



Thirty-four of the 39 gull specimens were subadult birds. Six of 

 these 34 specimens were in too poor condition to allow accurate aging. 

 Of the remaining 28, 10 were in first winter plumage, 13 were in first 

 nuptial plumage, one was molting into second winter plumage, and 

 four were in second winter plumage. 



Frings (1965a, 1965b), Amadon (1965), and more recently, Sibley 

 and McFarlane (in press) have discussed reasons why gulls have not 

 become established on tropical oceanic islands. Frings has suggested 

 that both nonadaptability to local food sources and inefficient pro- 

 duction of fresh water by salt gland secretion may in part account 

 for the absence of gulls on most oceanic islands. Amadon suggested 

 that unavailability of food is the more probable cause of their absence. 

 Sibley and McFarlane have discussed the problem at length, pointing 

 out reasons why neither hypothesis is likely to be a wholly sufficient 

 answer. 



Of the remaining records, some species evidently wandered from the 

 main Hawaiian Islands, where they have breeding populations — 

 black-crowned night heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) , American coot 

 (Fulica americana), mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) , and house 

 sparrow (Passer domesticus). One hawk (Circus cyaneus hudsonius) 

 was of North American derivation but another (Falco peregrinus 

 pealeiT) was a North Pacific form. The alcid (horned puffin, Fratercula 

 corniculata) may have come from either North America or Asia. 

 The barn swallow (Hirundo rustica gutteralis), red-throated pipit 

 (Anihus cervinus), water pipit (Anthus spinoletta japonicus), and sky- 

 lark (Alauda arvensis pekinensis) are Palearctic forms, whereas the 

 snow bunting (Plectrophenax nivalis townsendi) is represented by the 

 Pribilof-Aleutian form. 



Species Accounts 



Northern Fulmar Fulmarus glacialis rodgersii 



(Fulmar) 



POBSP personnel have obtained four fulmar specimens that washed 

 up on the beach on Green Island, Kure Atoll, in early 1964. The first 

 specimen (USNM 492919), collected Jan. 16, 1964, was the only one 



