ORNITHOLOGICAL EXPLORATIONS. 67 



JSTat. Mus. No. 21798, L. Stejueger 1173) and measure 73 by 54.5 and 

 73.25 by 55-^"\ 



Compared with eggs of Larus gJaucus tbose collected by me show a 

 just perceptibly more greeuish tiuge and somewhat smaller, more nu- 

 merous, and better defined spots. 



17. Larus schistisagus Stejxeger. 



Diagnosis. — White; mautle dark bluish shxte gray. First primary, with a long 

 white tip, apical and subapical spots being fused together, and a gray "wedge" on 

 the inner web ; second, with a subapical white spot on the inner web only, and the 

 gray wedge further down ; third, with the wedge reaching the subapical spot ; no 

 gray wedge on outer web of the four first primaries. Feet pinkish flesh-color. Total 

 length 670n'"i, wing 460™i\ 



1858. — Larus argentalus Kittl., Denkw., II, p. 225 {part). 



1858. — Larus cachinnans Kittl., Denkw., I, p. 336 {nee Fall.). — Swinh., F. Z. S., 1863, 



p. 324.— Jrf., ma., 1871, p. A2l.—Id., Ibis, 1863, p. 428.— Stejneger, Na- 



turen, 1884, p. 6. 

 1860. — Larus argentalus var. cachinnans Schrenck, Reis. Amurl., I, p. 504. 

 1867. — f Larus occidentalis Whitely, Ibis, 1867, p. 210 {nee Atjdub.). 

 1871. — ? Larus fuscescens "Mus. St. Fetersb.", Meves, Ofv. Vet. Akad. Forhandl., 1871, 



p. 787. 

 1871. — Larus borealis Gray, Handl., Ill, p. 113 {uec Bruch). 

 1872.— ianis marinus RiDGWAY, Bull. Nutt. Orn. CI., 1882, p. 60.— Bean, Pr. U. S. 



Nat. Mus., 1882, p. 168. — Nelson, Cruise Corwin, p. 107 (1883). 

 1876. — Larus pelagicus Taczan., Bull. Soc. Zool. France, 1876, p. 263 {nee Bruch). — 



Id., ibid., 1882, p. 395.— /<Z., Orn. Faun. Vost. Sibir., p. 64 (1877). 

 1884. — ZarHs sc/(is<isa^Hs Stejneger, Auk, 1884, p. 231. — Baird, Brewer, & Ridgw., 



Waterb. N. Amer., II, p. 229, (1884). 



In order to find out what my bird is, it may be well first to point out 

 what it is not. 



It is not (compare i)l. vi, fig. 3, and description p. 68), Larus cachinnans 

 Pall., with the eye-rings " coccineis," the feet " pallide flavis," and the 

 back like ichtyaetus, "intense leucophsea sen coeridescenticana." ISTor 

 is it Saunders's cachinnans., which apparently is the bird described by 

 Pallas, being distinguished by its " darler mantle (than in argentatus), 

 yellow legs and feet, and the deep orange-red ring around the outside of 

 the eye", (P. Z. S., 1878, p. 170). Sclater's/^/seescews (P. Z. S., 1867, p. 315), 

 has the back " nigrescenti-cinerea," but the feet, " Isete flavi." Does not 

 this belong rather to affinis than to cachinnans^. "Chlamy<le nigres- 

 centi-cinerea," would hardly do for the latter. 



Furthermore, it is not borealis of Bruch {Larus (Glaucns) borealis 

 "Brandt," J. f. Orn., 1853, p. 101), which is "considerably larger than 

 argentatits, but otherwise similar to this species." Whether borealis 

 Brandt, is something different from borealis Bruch, I do not know, but I 



