VOL. VI.] LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL. 363 



March 19th. The unanimous conclusion is that Larus 

 afjfinis Reinhardt is a specimen of the pale form of 

 Larus fuscus and that this form must be known as — 



Larfs fuscus affinis Reinhardt 



and that, unfortunately, Larus fuscus britannicus Lowe 

 must be considered a synonym of this. Herr H. Winge 

 still considers the matter unsettled on account of the 

 metatarsal differences, so that the following explanation 

 may be helpful. The measurements of the metatarsus 

 and middle toe and claw given by Reinhardt are 56 mm. : 

 56 mm. Herr Winge's measurements are given as 

 59 mm. : 57 mm. These are taken from the bird as 

 stuffed and do not agree exactly with those of fresh 

 skins of Larus fuscus britannicus which are 65 mm. : 

 59 mm. A stuffed bird of the British race gives however 

 61 mm. : 60 mm. which is very close indeed and points 

 to the discrepancy being due to stretching in the setting 

 up. Mr. Witherby {in litt.) gives me the measurements 

 of his British specimens as — ^, tarsus 56, middle toe and 

 claw 57 : $, tarsus 55, middle toe and claw 54 : and $, 

 tarsus 58, middle toe and claw 55 ; so that no difference 

 at all is seen between these birds and the type. 

 In the other measurements, such as culmen and wing, 

 the type agrees exactly with a normal British bird, 

 whose culmen gives 50, wing 410. The Siberian bird, 

 for which I have provided the name Larus fuscus antelius, 

 is a much larger bird, an average specimen giving the 

 measurements : culmen 58, wing 450, metatarsus 71, 

 middle toe and claw 62 mm. 



At the meeting of the B.O. Club Mr. Witherby stated 

 that Lesser Black-backed Gulls from the Faeroes examined 

 by Dr Lowe were Uke the British bird, and that recently 

 Lesser Black-backed Gulls had been observed by the 

 Duchess of Bedford* in Iceland, so that it might 

 reasonably be suggested that the type of Larus affinis 

 Reinhardt had straggled to Greenland from that island. 



*See antea, p. 319. 



