28 



NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS EGGS. 



43. Iceland Gull. Larus leucopterus. 



Range. Arctic regions, south in winter to the Middle States. 

 This Gull in appearance is precisely like the two preceding ones but is con- 

 siderably smaller; 24 inches in length. A very common bird in the north, 

 breeding in colonies of thousands on many of the islands. It is regarded as 



one of the most common of 

 the larger Gulls in Bering 

 Sea and also nests com- 

 monly in Hudson Bay and 

 Greenland, as well as in 

 the Eastern Hemisphere. 

 They nest indifferently on 

 high rocky cliffs or on low 

 sandy islands. Except 

 when the eggs are laid in 

 a sandy depression in the 

 soil, quite bulky nests are 

 made of seaweed and moss. 

 The eggs are laid about 

 the first of June; they 

 number two to three and 

 have a ground color of 

 TGreenish brown.] brownish or greenish 



brown and are blotched with umber. Size 2.80 x 1.83. Data. Mackenzie Bay, 

 ^7 Arctic America. June 18, 1899. Nest made of seaweed and grass on an island 

 ^. in the bay. 



~ 44. Glaucous-winged Gull. Larus glaucescens. 



Range. North Pacific coast, breeding from British Columbia northwards and 

 wintering from the same country to southern California. 



This Gull is very like the 

 preceding except that the 

 primaries are the same color 

 as the mantle, and are tipped ^ ***' 



with white. Length about 

 27 inches. Not so northerly ' ^ 



distributed a bird as the pre- ml- ^ 

 vious ones, and consequently 

 better known. They breed in 

 large numbers both on the 

 high rocky cliffs of the islands 

 along the coast and on the 

 low sandy islands of the 

 Aleutian Chain. On Copper 

 Island they breed on the 

 inaccessible cliffs overhang- 

 ing the water. As in the case 

 of the Iceland Gull, when the 

 nests are on the cliffs, a large 

 nest of seaweed is made, 

 whereas if they are on the 

 ground, especially in sandy 



places no attempt is made at nest-building. The eggs have a greenish brown 

 ground color and dark brown spots. Size 2.75 x 2.05. Data. West Coast of 

 Vancouver Island. June 20, 1896. Three eggs; nest made of seaweed. Located 

 on a low ledge. Collector, Dr. Newcombe. 



x, * 





[Pale greenish brown] . 



