SWIMMING BIRDS. Gulls 



mingled with the slate-colour of the adults on the wings, and 



clouded with gray on the breast. 

 Season : A summer visitor ; once a common summer resident on Long 



Island, hut now rare. 

 Breeds : Off the Atlantic coast, from Maine to Florida. 

 Nest : Of dried sea grasses and beach-grass stubbs. 

 Eggs : 2-3, shaded olive, spotted and splashed irregularly with dull 



reddish purple, and black-brown. 

 Bange : Eastern tropical and warm temperate America, chiefly along 



the sea-coast, from Maine to Brazil; Pacific coast of middle 



America. 



This Gull, taking- its name from the peculiar quality of its 

 cry, which is like a peal of laughter, belongs more commonly 

 to the coast south of New York than to New England. It 

 breeds, however, on Muskeget, and Mr. George H. Mackay 

 gives an account of its habits in The Auk of October, 1893. 

 He says that formerly they were much more plentiful than 

 to-day, — the same sad story of all the soft-hued Water-birds 

 who have been hunted even from their sea-bound homes. 

 But this abuse is somewhat abating, — at least, so all bird- 

 lovers hope, — and there are fewer of our native birds seen in 

 millinery, and the feathers, other than Ostrich-plumes, that 

 are used now are largely dyed and baked chicken feathers, 

 twisted into many contortions, or queer birds with celluloid 

 beaks, ugly enough to make bird-wearing unfashionable. 

 Many tropical birds, however, are still used in making up 

 these grotesque adornments. 



Bonaparte's Gull: Lams iJhiladelpMa, 



Plate XV. Fig. 6. 



Length : 14 inches. 



Male and Female : Head and upper neck dark lead-colour ; bill black ; 



back "gull-blue." Rump and tail white; also under parts. 



Wings white and gull-blue. In winter the head is white, with 



dark spots. Legs and feet light red. 

 Season : Common migrant in spring and fall, and sometimes winters. 

 Breeds : Mostly north of the United States. 

 Range : Whole of North America ; south, in winter, to Mexico and 



Central America. 



271 



