ONTARIO 



black, descending downwards on the nape and throat; mantle and wings, 

 bluish-grey; a band of black crosses the five outer primaries near the end, all 

 the quills feathers are tipped with white. Young, changing with age as in 

 other birds of this class. Length 15 inches. 



Hab. Interior of North America, breeding chiefly north of the United 

 States ; south in winter to South America, 



Eggs, four, greenish-gray with numerous brown markings, heaviest at the 

 larger end. 



When questioning that indefatigable sportsman, John Dynes, 

 about the rare birds he had seen on his many excursions round 

 the bay, he told me of a gull with a pink breast, which he had 

 sometimes seen in the fall, and finally in October, 1865, he 

 brought me one of the birds thus referred to, which proved to 

 be of this species ; subsequently I shot another in the month of 

 April, about the time the ice was breaking up ; the latter was in 

 a more advanced stage of plumage, but neither was mature. 



These are the only individuals I have heard of occur- 

 ring here, their line of migration being probably more toward 

 the Missisippi, as, according to Dr. Coues, they are not found 

 on the Atlantic coast. Professor Macoun found them at Gull 

 Lake in various stages of plumage. 



19. LARUS PHILADELPHIA (Ord). 60. 



Bonaparte's Gull. 



Tarsus about equal to middle toe and claw. Small ; 12-14 > wing, g^-i8J; 

 tarsus, ij ; bill, i J-iJ, very slender, like a Tern's. Adult in summer : — Bill 

 black ; mantle pearly blue, muchpaler than inrt<n«7/rt ; hood slaty-plumbeous 

 with white touches on the eyelids ; many wing-coverts white ; feet chrome- 

 yellow, tinged with coral red ; webs vermilion. Primaries finally : — The first 

 5-6 with the shafts white e.xcept at tip ; first white, white outer web and ex- 

 treme tip black ; second white, more broadly crossed with black ; 3d to 6th- 

 8th with the black successively decreasing. In winter no hood, but a dark 

 auricular spot. Young: — Mottled and patched abcve with brown or grey, 

 and usually a dusky bar on the wing ; the tail with a black bar, the primaries 

 with more black, the bill dusky, much of the lower mandible flesh colored or 

 yellowish, as are the feet. . 



Hab. Whole of North America, breeding mostly north of the United 

 State* ; south in winter to Mexico and Central America. 

 Eggs scarcely known. 



39 



