Bird Life of North Dakota 13 



9. Lams delawarensis Orel. Ring-billed Gull. 



CouES, 1878, p. 655 ; two specimens shot from a flock on) September 12, 1873, near 

 Mouse River, Dakota. Hoffman, 1882, p. 404; noticed daily and usually in pairs; 

 found a poorly mounted specimen in the Great Lodge of the Arikaras, where it was 

 used in one of the ceremonies. Ridgway, 1919, p. 625; breeding at Devils Lake and 

 Stump Lake. Bent, 1921, p. 133; on two islandsi of Stump Lake Bird Reserve, found 

 breeding in colonies of about a hundred pairs in May and June, 1901. Ibid., p. 140; 

 egg dates, North Dakota, forty-eight records, May 9 to June 22; twenty-four records. 

 May 31 to June 15. 



A set of three eggs is in the Oological Collection, Museum of Zoology, 

 which were taken at Devils Lake, North Dakota, May 17, 1892, by Jatnes 

 R. Craegue. 



A colony of this species bred at the Stump Lake Bird Reserve in 1920. 

 At Devils Lake they were first noted in 1921 on May 10; on May 27 and 

 June 13 a hundred or more were seen. There were a few about Devils Lake 

 all summer, and a colony no doubt nested on a small island near Minne- 

 waukan Bay, 



10. Lanis franklini Richardson. Franklin's Gull. 



CouKs, 1878, p. 655; a specimen was shot in the Turtle Mountains, July 30, 1873, 

 but no breeding colonies were found. Ridgway, 1919, p. 642; breeding in the Turtle 

 Mountains and at Devils Lake. Bent, 1921, opposite p. 171; a fine photograph of a 

 pair on the nest, taken in North Dakota by H. K. Job. 



The skin of a male, collected at Sweetwater Lake, Ramsey County, June 

 5. 1900, by Charles L. Cass, and a set of two eggs| taken there June 8, 1896, 

 by E. S. Bryant, are in the Museum of Zoology Collection. 



An abundant summer resident of all the lake regions of the state. It 

 breeds on the islands of both Stump and Devils lakes, where hundreds were 

 seen each day. On July 14, 1920, more than a thousand were assembled on 

 a stony point of Minnewaukan Bay. More than half of these were young 

 of the year. On July 25 hundreds were seen at Stump Lake, and at Lake 

 Irvine, July 27. On August 25 a flock of thousands was seen feeding on 

 the prairie, undoubtedly on grasshoppers. 



A small colony occupied Bird Island in Devils Lake in 192 1. 



This is one of the most important of the North Dakota birds. It is very 

 abundant and annually destroys countless numbers of the most injurious 

 insects — crickets and grasshoppers. 



11. Lams philadcIpJii-a (Ord). Bonaparte's Gull. 



JuDD, 1917, p. 6; but few stragglers seen during the spring and summer months. 

 Bailey, 1918, p. 27 ; a few of this species September i at Sweetwater Lake, Ramsey 

 County. 



It was not seen by the writer in July or August, 1920. At Devils Lake 

 on June 8, 1921, a flock of about two hundred appeared, but all passed on 

 after a few days. Many of these were still in the winter plumage. 



12. Sterna forstcri Nuttall. Forster's Tern. 



Schmidt, 1504; nesting in all three sections of the state. Judd, 1917, p. 6; an 

 occasional specimen taken. 



