250 LONG-WINGED SWIMMERS — LONGIPENNES. 



Larus canus. 



THE MEW GULL. 



Larus emits, Linn. S. N. ed. 10, I. 1758, 136; ed. 12, I. 1766, 224. — Sharpe & Dresser, B. Eur. 



pt, xvii. (1S73). — Saunders, P. Z. S. 1878, 177. — Hidgw. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, no. 671. — 



Coues, 2d Check List, 1882, no. 779. 

 Larus canus, a. canus, Coues, B. N. W. 1874, 638. 

 Larus cincrcus, Scop. Ann. i. Hist. Nat. 1769, 80. 

 Larus hybcrnus, Gmel. S. N. I. ii. 1788, 596. 

 Larus i>roccllosus, Bechst. Orn. Tasch. 1S02, 373. 

 Larus eyanorhynehus, Meyer, Tasch. Vog. Deutschl. II. 1810, 480. 

 Laroidcs cancscens, Brehm, Vog. Deutschl. 1831, 753. 

 Larus canus, var. major, Middend. Sibir. Reise, II. 1853, 243. 

 Larus Heinci, HoMEYER, Xaum. 1S53, 129. 



Larus (Glaucus) lachrymosus, "Light.," Bruch, J. f. O. 1853, 102. 

 Larus delawarensis (part), Coues, Pr. Ac. Nat. Sci. Pliilad. 1861, 246 (Labrador). 

 Larus Audouini, Tristram, Ibis, 1868, 330 (not of Payr. 1826). 



Hab. Palfcarctie Region ; accidental or casual in Labrador. 



Sp. Char. Adult, in summer: Mantle pale ashy blue (intermediate in shade between that 

 of L. cachinnans and L. argeniatus), the secondaries and tertials broadly, but not abruptly, white 

 terminally. Outer primary black, with a white subterminal space, including both webs and the 

 shaft, of about 2.00-2.25 inches in length ; second quill similar, but the white space smaller (about 

 1.00-1.25 inches in length), the base of the feather more distinctly slaty ; third usually 1 without 

 any white, except at the tip, the basal portion abruptly bluish gray ; fourth, similar, but the bluish 

 gray occupying about the basal half of exposed portion of the quill, and more sharply defined 

 against the black ; fifth grayish blue, tipped with white, and with a large subterminal space of 

 black, an inch or more in length (running anteriorly along the edges for about .75 of an inch, the 

 pale bluish almost or quite white where joining the anterior border of the black on inner web ; 

 sixth quill with a much smaller (about .50 wide) subterminal black bar ; remaining quills grayish 

 blue, passing into white terminally. Remainder of the plumage snow-white. Bill greenish oliva- 

 ceous (in skin — greenish yellow in life), the terminal third yellow ; iris grayish brown ; eyelids 

 vermilion-red ; legs and feet yellowish green. 2 Adult, in winter : Similar, but occiput and nape 

 longitudinally spotted with grayish brown. Yawng, first plumage (No. 18221, Henley Harbor, Lab- 

 rador, Aug. 21 ; E. Coues) : Above, grayish brown, the feathers irregularly but broadly bordered 

 with pale dull buff ; greater wing-coverts and secondaries pale bluish gray, bordered with pale 

 bull', and with a subterminal border of brownish dusky ; tertials grayish brown, bordered with 

 bully white ; primary coverts and primaries dusky black, very narrowly tipped with white ; rump 

 and upper tail-coverts white, marked with irregular sagittate spots of brownish dusky ; basal two- 

 thirds of the tail bluish white (lading into pure white basally) ; terminal portion dusky, narrowly 

 tipped with white, the grayish white of the lateral feathers finely mottled with dusky posteriorly. 

 Lower parts grayish white, the jugulum and sides thickly spotted with light grayish brown. " Bill 

 while, tip black ; mouth white ; legs dusky white" (MS. on label). 



Wing, 14.00-14.50 (average, 14.23) inches ; culmen, 1.35-1.60 (1.50) ; depth of bill through 

 angle, .45-50 (.47) ; tarsus, 1.90-2.25 (2.03) ; middle toe, 1.35-1.45 (1.39). (Five specimens.) 



1 In some examples — probably very old birds — there is a roundish spot of white on the inner web 

 about 1.50 inches from the tip of the leather. 



2 The fresh colors of the soft parts in this species are given by Macgillivray as follows : Adult male, 

 in summer: "The bill is greenish yellow, purer toward the end ; the margins of the eyelids vermilion. 

 Young : The bill is black, at the base livid flesh-color ; the iris dusky ; the edges of the eyelids brown ; 

 the feet flesh-color, tinged with yellow." Adult male, in winter: "The bill is of a uniform grayish- 

 green tint, shaded at the end with ochre-yellow ; the basal margins and mouth orange ; the edges of the 

 eyelids dull reddish ; the iris brown. The feet deep greenish-gray ; the claws black." Young, in second 

 winter : " Bill yellowish green, with the end dusky ; feet livid yellowish green." 



