^^19^8^^'] Allen, Kumlien's Gull near Boston. 297 



confined to the coldest seasons. This last winter was an excep- 

 tionally open one up to the latter part of January, and even after 

 that was not unusually severe, but Kumlien's Gull was seen as 

 early as December 29, some days before the last Geese went south, 

 and as late as March 13, a day after the arrival of a great wave of 

 Robins, Bluebirds, Song Sparrows, etc., from the south. The 

 first of these birds was seen by me, December 29, 1907, at T Wharf, 

 Boston Harbor, where the gulls congregate about the fishing 

 schooners. It came within close range repeatedly and was iden- 

 tified beyond question. The dark markings at the ends of the 

 primaries were perfectly distinct though of course much more 

 restricted than those on the Herring Gull's Avings. This bird 

 (or one like it) was also observed at the samt place by Rev. Horace 

 W. Wright, January 18, 1908, and by Dr. Charles W. Townsend, 

 February 7, both of whom identified it positively. 



Mr. Wright also permits me to record two other birds of this 

 species seen by him. One was on the Charles River Basin, Boston, 

 February 10. "It came flying in and lit on the ice, and subse- 

 quently took successive flights back and forth before me. For 

 some time I did not detect the gray spaces on the wings, but finally 

 saw them to be unmistakable. The mantle and wings were like 

 those of the Kumlien seen at T Wharf, but it would seem as if the 

 gray wing-spots could not have been as prominent as in the case 

 of that bird. But it may have been the identical bird. This 

 Kumlien showed plainly the red spot at the angle of the bill. I 

 did not perceive this mark on the T W'harf bird, but would not 

 affirm that it was not there." I have quoted INIr. Wright's account 

 in full in order to show the care with which the observation was 

 made. The other bird was seen February 26 on Chestnut Hill 

 Reservoir in the Brighton district of Boston. It rose among a 

 flock of Herring and Great Black-backed Gulls and, "gradually 

 ascending in the air, flew away eastward." 



The next Kumlien's Gulls to be observed of which I have knowl- 

 edge were two seen by myself in a flock of gulls off King's Beach, 

 Swampscott, March 7. They were sitting in the water and, when 

 viewed with a telescope, showed the wang-spots distinctly as they 

 sat. These spots were darker on one than on the other. The 

 bills of both were noticeablv smaller than the bills of the Herrinw 



