136 Swales & Taverner, Birds of Southeastern Michigan. [April 



features of the past few years' work in this vicinity. Some are but 

 formal records of occurrences, others scraps of life history or other 

 bits that seem of more or less interest. In all cases we have given 

 the local conditions as we have found them, taking nothing for 

 granted that could be verified, and locating, definitely, the speci- 

 mens in as many cases as possible. Eyesight records have been 

 used but sparingly, but wherever no other are available we have 

 attempted to give the conditions under which the identifications 

 were made that the reader may use his own judgment as to the 

 conclusions. It may be observed that in some cases we are at 

 variance with lists of adjoining localities, and the reports of other 

 observers. This cannot be helped. Our experience has been as 

 follows and, as we have taken the utmost care in identifications, 

 variation must be attributed to differences of locality or other 

 reasons that suggest themselves. 



The delta of the St. Clair River, known as the St. Clair Flats, 

 has long been looked upon as that paradise of water birds where 

 all species breed and some birds have been reported from there 

 apparently on the principle that if not there they should be. Some 

 of these records have been copied extensively and we have taken 

 this opportunity to correct some of the most flagrant of them. 



Larus delawarensis. Ring-billed Gull. — There has been 

 some doubt expressed as to the occurrence of this bird at the western 

 end of Lake Erie (see Jones's 'Birds of Ohio,' p. 29). We have 

 always been confident of its occurrence here and have recorded 

 it many times in our notes. On coming to look it up, however, 

 we were surprised to find an entire lack of actual specimens and 

 that all our identifications had been eyesight ones. We have 

 therefore, this fall, paid special attention to this species, with the 

 following results: About October 15 Mr. Campion had a pair of 

 wings that we identified as from a bird of this species taken on the 

 river. November 1, while crossing the river, Mr. Taverner w T atched 

 a small gull sailing in circles with a Herring Gull. Though it 

 was never close enough for the characteristic ring on the bill to be 

 distinguished, every chance was given to compare the two birds 

 in point of size, as they crossed and recrossed each other's courses 

 many times and often in close proximity to each other. November 

 12, Mr. Campion received a juvenile bird from Pine Lake, Oak- 



