LARUS CIRRHOCEPHALUS. 201 



Many of these Gulls haunt the estancias to feed on the garbage usually 

 found in abundance about cattle-breeding establishments. When a cow is 

 slaughtered they collect in large numbers and quarrel with the domestic 

 poultry over the offal. They are also faithful attendants at the shep- 

 herd's hut ; and if a dead lamb remains in the fold when the flock goes 

 to pasture they regale on it in company with the Chimango. The great 

 Saladeros, or slaughter-grounds, which were formerly close to Buenos 

 Ayres, are also frequented by hosts of these neat and beautiful scavengers. 

 Here numbers may be seen hovering overhead, and mingling their 

 excited screams with the bellowing of half-wild cattle and the shouts of 

 the slaughterers at their rough work ; and at intervals, wherever a little 

 space is allowed them, dropping themselves on to the ground, which 

 reeks with blood and offal, and greedily snatching up whatever morsels 

 they can on the instant, and yet getting no stain or speck on their 

 delicate dress of lily-white and ethereal blue. 



On the open pampas their curiosity and anger seems greatly excited 

 at the appearance of a person on foot ; no sooner has the Gull spied 

 him than it sweeps toward him with a rapid flight, uttering loud indig- 

 nant screams that never fail to attract all of its fellows within hearing 

 distance. These all pass and repass, hovering over the pedestrian's 

 head, screaming all the time as if highly incensed, and finally retire, 

 joining their voices in a kind of chorus and waving their wings upwards 

 in a slow curious manner ; but often enough, when they are almost out 

 of sight, they suddenly wheel about and hurry back screaming, with 

 fresh zeal, to go through the whole pretty but annoying performance 



418. LARUS CIRRHOCEPHALUS, Vieill. 

 (GREY-CAPPED GULL.) 



Larus cirrhocephalus, Scl et Salv. Nomencl. p. 148 ; iid. P. Z. S. 1871, p. 578 ; 

 Durnford, Ibis, 1877, p. 201 (Buenos Ayres) ; Barrows, Auk, 1884, p. 316 

 (Entrerios) ; Saunders, P. Z. S. 1878, p. 204. Larus maculipennis, urm. 

 La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 518 (Parana). 



Description. Head (in breeding-plumage) grey, deepening in colour on the 

 nape and throat ; tail and underparts white ; mantle grey (darker than in 

 L. maculipennis) ; primaries black, with small subapical white patches on first 

 and second, and longer ones on the outer webs of third to fifth near the base ; 

 under wing slate-grey ; bill, legs, and feet crimson to orange-red : length 16-0 to 

 17'0 inches, wing 12-25. 



Hob. South Brazil, Uruguay, and La Plata, also coast of Peru. 

 The Grey-capped Gull is found on the Rio de la Plata, and as far 



