54 THE BIRDS OF MAINE 



wounded the others immediately return and hover over the 

 spot for some time, repeatedly sweeping downward towards their 

 injured companion on the water. 



Genus XEMA Leach. 



62. Xema sabinii (Sab.). Sabine's Gull. 



Plumage in summer adults : tail slightly forked ; head and neck plumbeous; 

 black collar at back of neck ; first primary black with inner half of inner 

 web white ; other primaries black, second to fourth white tipped ; bill black, 

 yellow tipped ; back and wings bluish gray ; otherwise white. Plumage in 

 winter adults : ear coverts, top of head and nape dusky plumbeous ; head 

 and neck white ; otherwise similar to summer plumage. Immature plumage : 

 below, and forehead and lores white ; above ashy brown, some feathers 

 white tipped ; tail white with black tip. Wing 10.00 to 11.00 ; culmen 0.98 ; 

 tarsus 1.28. 



Geog. Dist. — Arctic regions, rarely migrating as far southward as the 

 Great Lakes and Great Salt Lake ; very rare on coast of Maine and casual in 

 Kansas, Bahama Island and coast of Peru. 



County Records. — Cumberland ; one taken in Scarborough, May 31, 1877, 

 (Smith, F. & S. 20, p. 205), (B. N. O. C. 3, p. 195) ; an immature female 

 shot at Brothers Island, near Portland, September 22, 1899, was seen at John 

 Lord's where it was being mounted, (Knight, J. M. 0. S. 1900, p. 2). These 

 are our only good records. 



In its southward migration this species rarely reaches our 

 boundaries. Mr. Boardman took a specimen on Indian Island, 

 New Brunswick, in May 1878, which has been persistently and 

 erroneously cited as a Maine specimen by several writers in spite 

 of corrections. On the shores of the Arctic Ocean, especially 

 on the islands and in the marshes near St. Michael's, Alaska, 

 the nests of grass and moss are placed on the ground. The 

 eggs are said to be two or three in number, deep olive in color 

 and spotted with brown. According to Ridgway they measure 

 1.78 X 1.26. It is probable that if more eggs were known in 

 collections that they would show full as much variation in color 

 and markings as the eggs of the other Gulls. The food con- 

 sists of small fish and, according to Mr. Nelson of worms and 

 aquatic insects. 



