THE WESTERN GULL. 725 
No. 291. 
WESTERN GULL. 
A. O. U. No. 49. Larus occidentalis Aud. 
Synonym.— WESTERN HERRING GULL. 
Description.—4dult: Mantle slaty gray or plumbeous slate, most inteise in 
fresh spring plumage, sharply contrasting with terminal white of secondaries and 
tertials; the first three primaries black on exposed portion, the outer one white 
for about two inches subterminally, crossed distally by irregular black bar, and 
tipped’ with white; the 2nd and succeeding narrowly tipped only with white; the 
black disappearing on 6th; remaining plumage pure white (hind-head and neck 
streaked, or not [?] with dusky in winter) ; bill stout and deep with very convex 
culmen and strongly marked angle; irides brown; feet pale purplish rosy or 
flesh-colored. Downy young: Much as in preceding, but markings more brownish 
black. First plumage: “Above brownish slate irregularly spotted with grayish 
white; remiges, rectrices, and primary coverts, uniform dull black, narrowly 
tipped with white; lower parts brownish gray, clouded or irregularly spotted with 
grayish white—the breast and abdomen sometimes nearly uniform grayish. Bill 
dusky black terminally, flesh-colored basally.” In other transitional juvenile 
plumages black of bill and blackish brown of primaries and tail most persistent. 
Length of adult 24.00-27.00 (609.6-685.8) ; wing about 16.50 (419.1) ; bill 2.25 
(57.2), depth at angle .88 (22.4) ; tarsus 2.60 (66). 
Recognition Marks.—Gull size; dark slaty blue of mantle distinctive, ado- 
lescent black spot on angle of gonys less persistent than in other species; wing- 
pattern simpler than in many but not affording good field mark. 
Nesting.—Nest and Eggs quite as in preceding. 
General Range.—Pacific Coast of North America, breeding from British 
Columbia (west coast of Vancouver Island) south to Lower California. 
Range in Washington.—Not common spring and fall migrant only on Puget 
Sound, more common during migrations on the Straits; nests only in the southern 
portion of the Olympiades, chiefly within the Copalis Rock Reservation. 
Authorities.—? Audubon, Orn. DBiog. V. 1839, p. 320. Baird and 
Lawrence, Rep: Pac. R. R. Surv. IX. 1858, p. 845. C&S. Lt. Rh. D'(?). Kb. 
Kk. B. E. 
Specimens.—Proy. 
JOHN FANNIN, while curator of the Provincial Museum at Victoria, 
regarded the Western Gull as a resident of British Columbia, and called it 
“very abundant on the Coast during the winter months.’ He found it 
breeding in the Similkameen Valley, and supposed that it nested also upon 
the coast. This surmise must have been correct, for the birds do appear about 
our northern harbors in considerable numbers, and they are especially notice- 
able along the Straits of Juan de Fuca in spring time; but it is worthy of 
remark that they have yielded all title in the San Juan Islands to the Glaucous- 
