THE BIRD BOOK 



49. Western Gull. Larus occidentalis. 



Range. — Pacific Coast, breeding from southern 

 California to British Columbia. 



This bird, which is the most southerly distrib- 

 uted of the larger Gulls is twenty-four inches in 

 length. Mantle slate colored; primaries black, 

 both these and the secondaries being broadly 

 tipped with white. These Gulls nest abundantly 

 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 content 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. 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. 



[50.] Siberian Gull. Larus affinis. 



This bird does not nest in North America, and 

 has a place on our list, by its accidental occur- 

 rence in Greenland. It is an Old World species 

 and its nesting habits and eggs are like those of 

 the Herring Gull. 



51. Herring Gull. Larus arge.ntatus. 



Range. — Whole of the Northern Hemisphere, 

 breeding from Maine and British Columbia north- 

 ward and wintering south to the Gulf. 



This Gull, which formerly was No. 51a, a sub- 

 Western Gull species of the European variety, is now regarded 

 Herring Gull as identical with it, and is no longer a sub-species. 



It is twenty-four inches in length, has a light gray mantle and black primaries 



which are tipped with 



white. The Herring - ' ~\.-""" — ^ 



Gulls nest in colonies "*" ' *- — «*• 



in favorable localities 



throughout their range, 



chiefly on the coasts 



and islands. A few pairs 



also nest on islands in 



some of the inland 



bodies of fresh water. 



Except in places where 



they are continually 



molested, when they 



will build in trees, they 



place their nests on the 



ground either making 



no nest on the bare 



sand, or building a 



bulky nest of seaweed 



in the grass on higher 



parts of the island. Buff 



They lay three eggs of 



a grayish color marked with brown. In rare cases unspotted bluish white 



eggs are found. Size 2.8 x 1.7. 44 



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