° 1915^ J General Notes. 495 



The Puffin (Fralercula arctica arctica) on Long Island, N. Y. — 



On April 30, 1915, a specimen of this species was found on the beach near 

 Montauk Point and was sent to me for identification. The body of the 

 bird was very much decayed and it may have perished several weeks before 

 it was found. This appears to be the third record for Long Island. — J. A. 

 Weber, Box 327, Palisades Park, N. J. 



A Near View of an Iceland Gull. — As notes on the Iceland Gull (La- 

 rus leucopterus) in life are rather scarce, the following observations on its 

 appearance and actions may be worth recording. I found a bird of this 

 species January 2, 1915, at the fish pier, South Boston. It was alter- 

 nately swimming about and resting in the slip on the west side of the 

 pier, and I watched it for some time with my bird-glass (of three diameters), 

 part of the time within ten or fifteen yards, I should think. It was in the 

 rare pure-white plumage (at least nothing but pure white could be seen 

 on the most careful study under these favorable conditions) and the bill 

 appeared to be entirely black, or blackish. It was clearly smaller than 

 the Herring Gulls with which it was associated, and the bill, as always 

 with this species, was noticeably shorter in proportion, giving a somewhat 

 dove-like appearance to the head. It also carried its head higher and the 

 tail, or rather the rear part of the body, cocked at more of an angle. The 

 wings extended farther beyond the tail than was the case with the Herring 

 Gulls. It was livelier and more "aristocratic " and graceful in bearing than 

 these, and made pretty little dabs with its bill at morsels of food in the water. 

 It appeared to be on terms of equality with the Herring Gulls and was always 

 near them or among them. It had two or three little tiffs with them over 

 food, but these were no more frequent than the quarrels among the Herring 

 Gulls themselves. This bird was afterwards seen at the same place by Dr. 

 Charles W. Townsend, and this or a similar pure-white Iceland Gull was 

 observed at close range olT Rockport, Mass., April 19, 1915, by Mr. Charles 

 R. Lamb, who permits me to report the occurrence. — ■ Francis H. Allen, 

 West Roibury, Mass. 



The Arkansas Kingbird {Tyr annus verticalis) in Eastern Minnesota. 



— While out on a bird-hunting trip with my class in ornithology on May 12, 

 1915, we saw an Arkansas Kingbird on the boulevard of Minnehaha Creek 

 not far from Lake Harriet. There could be no doubt as to the identifica- 

 tion, since he was in plain sight and the lemon-colored underparts were 

 described by all the members of the class. This is the second time within 

 a year that I have seen an Arkansas Kingbird in the neighborhood of the 

 Twin Cities., Since the ' A. O. U. Check-List ' names western Minnesota as 

 the eastern boundary of the range of this species, while Hatch in his ' Birds 

 of Minnesota ' does not mention the bird at all, I thought the record might 

 be of interest. — Prof. Paul E. Kretzmann, Ph.D., Concordia College, 

 St. Paid, Minn. 



