20 KoBBE, The Status of Certain Species of Larus. \!]m. 



species and even genera have been based upon such shadowy 

 characters. One group of species has the head enveloped in a 

 dark hood in the breeding season, the under parts tinted with 

 peach-blossom hue. The sexes are always alike ; the moult 

 appears to be twice a year, so that a winter plumage more or less 

 different from that of summer results ; while the young are never 

 like the old. The change is slow, generally requiring 2-3 years ; 

 in the interim, birds are found in every stage. They are always 

 darker than the old, often quite dusky ; usually with black or 

 flesh-colored bill ; and if with black on the primaries when adult, 

 the young usually have these quills all black. There being no 

 peculiar extra-limital species, those of our country give a perfect 

 idea of the whole group. Some 75 species are current; there are 

 certainly not over 50 good ones." ^ 



From a large number of birds freshly killed and a series of 

 skins, I have come to the conclusion that specific distinction does 

 not exist between Lams argentatus (Briinn.) and Larus vegcz 

 (Palme'n). In attempting to prove this we must first clearly sepa- 

 rate the American bird, Larus vega. (Palmen), and the European 

 Larus cachiiinans (Pall.), which American ornithologists seem un- 

 able to do satisfactorily. 



Dr. Coues, in describing Larus vegce under the name of cachin- 

 7ians^ says : " Size, proportions of parts, pattern of primaries, etc., 

 as in a common Herring Gull. Feet yellow (not flesh-color) ; 

 ring around eye in the breeding season orange-red (not yellow). 

 Mantle dark bluish and much darker than that of arge?itatus^ yet 

 not slate-colored as in occidentalism '^ 



Mr. Ridgway in his ' Manual ' describes Larus vegce as follows : 

 " Mantle plumbeous-gray, or very deep pearl-gray ; eyelids (in 

 life) orange-red, and feet yellow." 



These descriptions suit the European bird Larus cachinnans, 

 but all American publications which I have examined describe 

 Larus vegce as having yellow feet, which according to the original 

 description it has not. Dr. L. Stejneger noted this point in refer- 

 ring to the original description of Larus vegce by Professor Pal- 

 men. In ' The Auk,' Vol. V, page 310, he says: "On page 370 



' Key to N. Am. Birds, pp. 740, 741. 

 " Op. cit., p. 744. 



