1919 ] Oberholser, Notes on North American Birds. 83 



birds of this species from northeastern Asia and from Alaska to 

 Haliactus albicilla brooksi Hume. 1 The present writer, in the 

 course of other investigations, incidentally had occasion to verify 

 the status of this Asiatic subspecies. The result serves to substan- 

 tiate Mr. Clark's statement that the Gray Sea Eagles from eastern 

 Asia, the Commander Islands, and northern India are all so much 

 smaller than European birds that their subspecific separation is 

 necessary. The earliest name available for this form seems to be 

 Haliactus brooksi Hume, 2 described from " upper India." The Gray 

 Sea Eagles occurring on the Aleutian Islands, or, in fact, anywhere 

 else in Alaska, belong, of course, to this race, and their reference to 

 Haliactus albicilla brooksi Hume confirms its addition to the North 

 American list. 



Larus canus brachyrhynchus Richardson. 



The American bird now called Larus brachyrhynchus is evidently 

 very closely allied to the Old World Larus canus Linnaeus. Study 

 of a series of specimens of these two birds shows that about the only 

 characters separating Larus brachyrhynchus from Larus canus are 

 the average smaller size of the former, the usually greater amount 

 of gray on the basal portion of the second and third primaries 

 (counting from the outermost), and that this gray terminates 

 distally in a small white or whitish spot. The difference in size 

 and of the extent of the gray on the basal portion of these two 

 primaries is at once seen to be merely of average character, so that 

 the main distinction between the two supposed species is the white 

 area on the third primary of Larus brachyrhynchus; and upon this 

 rests the claim of Larus brachyrhynchus to specific distinctness 

 from Larus canus. When sufficient material is examined, however, 

 it becomes evident that even this character is not entirely constant, 

 for individuals occur that quite bridge over the difference between 

 the two forms. For example, a specimen in the Biological Survey 

 collection, No. 193531, U. S. Nat. Mus., from Slave River, 

 Mackenzie, collected on June 16, 1903, is, so far as its quill char- 

 acters are concerned, almost perfectly typical Larus canus, yet it 



Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., XXXVIII, April 30, 1910, p. 57. 

 2 Ibis, series 2, VI, No. XXIII, July, 1870, p. 438. 



