22 HISTORY OF THE 



Habitat. Western North America, from Mexico to Alaska, 

 breeding northward from about latitude 38°. 



Sp. Char. "Slightly smaller than L. occideiitalis, with much weaker bill 

 and lighter mantle. Adult, in summer: Mantle deep bluish cinereous, inter- 

 mediate in shade between the plumbeous of occideiitalis and the pearl blue ol 

 argentutus, the secondaries and tertials broadly (for about one inch) tipped with 

 white. Outer primary black, its terminal portion white for about two inches, 

 with or without a black subterminal spot; second quill also black, the tip white 

 and usually (though not always) marked by a white spot (sometimes one inch 

 long) near the end; third quill black, tipped with white, the base plumbeous: 

 fourth with the basal half plumbeous blue, the terminal half black, tipped with 

 white; fifth, similar but the black more restricted, and the line of demarcation 

 between the black and blue still more sharply defined; sixth, lighter plumbeous 

 blue, passing on to white toward the end, and crossed by a wide subterminal 

 baud of black; remaining quills cinereous blue, broadly tipped with white. 

 Remainder of the plumage snow white. Bill yellow, varying from greenish 

 lemon to chrome, the terminal third of the mandible bright red (varying from 

 orange red to carmine), the tip again yellow; a more or less distinct dusky spot 

 in or immediately in front of the red, and one directly above it on the maxilla, 

 the tip of which is sometimes grayish white; rictus and eyelids vermilion red; 

 iris dark hazel or Vandyke brown; legs aud feet pale pea green, sometime? 

 tipped with grayish. Adult, in winter: Similar, but head and neck (except im- 

 derneath) broadly streaked with grayish brown. Young, first plumage: Above, 

 coarsely spotted, in nearly equal quantities, with brownish slate and grayish 

 buffy white, the latter bordering the feathers, and forming broad irregular bars, 

 mostly beneath the surface; primary coverts, remiges and rectrices dusky 

 black, the inner primaries more grayish, the primary coverts narrowly tipped 

 with white, aiid the outer tail feathers with irregular broken bars of the same. 

 Head, neck and lower parts mottled or clouded with grayish white and brown- 

 ish gray, the latter prevailing on the head and neck — nearly uniform on the 

 nape. Bill dusky, black at the tip and brownish basally; iris brown; legs and 

 feet brownish ( in the dried skin). Downy young: Grayish white, purer white 

 centrally beneath, where immaculate; head marked by irregular dusky black 

 spots, of indefinite arrangement, but most numerous above; upper parts clotided 

 with dusky grayish. Bill black, tipped with pale yellowish brown." 



In the winter and spring of 1881 and 1881r, I noticed the birds 

 quite often at San Diego, and found them quite common on the 

 northwest coast, in fact abundant, during the early spring, 

 about Vancouver and the San Juan Islands. 



They fly rather slowly and gracefully over the water; pick- 

 ing up here and there floating matter and the little fishes at the 



