VOL. VI.] BRITISH LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL. 5 



Against such a supposition is the fact noted by the late 

 Captain Shelley {Birds of Egypt), that the Lesser Black- 

 backed Gulls were making their way northivards down the 

 Nile in April. 



Allowing, however, that my conclusion in regard to 

 these Egyptian and other birds is correct, it follows that 

 we have in Europe two races of the Lesser Black-backed 

 Gull, viz. : — 



(1) A Scandinavian or more eastern form, the dark- 



backed Larus juscus fuscus, and 



(2) A more western or light-backed race, represented by 



L. fuscus hritannicus. 



Moreover, we may conclude that representatives of the 

 Scandinavian and more eastern race, in greater or lesser 

 numbers, migrate southwards across eastern Europe 

 (possibly by way of the Rivers Vistula and Dnieper) to 

 winter in the eastern Mediterranean, Egypt, the Red Sea, 

 and possibly the Persian Gulf {1L. fuscus affinis) ; while on 

 the other hand, representatives of the western race, follow- 

 ing the Atlantic coasts of Europe, wander southwards as 

 far as the northern and southern coasts of the western 

 Mediterranean ; or to Madeira, the Canaries, and the Azores. 



The actual existence of two such distinct migration 

 routes can, of course, only be proved by zealously con- 

 tinuing to "ring" nestling birds in their northern breeding 

 haunts, a process which, in the case of other birds, has 

 already been so fruitful in producing the most interesting 

 and surprising results. 



That a southerly migration in winter as regards our 

 own native birds is much more complete than is generally 

 appreciated is, I think, indicated by the difficulty I have 

 experienced in obtaining British specimens in winter 

 plumage. 



Finally, I have examined specimens of the Lesser Black- 

 backed Gull from the Canaries (Tenerife and the Grand 

 Canary) kindly placed at my disposal by Mr. D. A. 

 Bannerman, and one example in the British Museum col- 

 lection which was taken at Valencia, These birds appear 



