MASKED GULL. 567 



Orkneys ; " and was bought by Dr. Leach. From these 

 examples, M. Temminck, who was in London at that time, 

 to attend the sale of so important a collection, probably 

 became aware that this species was found in Orkney, 

 and included that locality among others for this species, in 

 the second edition of his Manual, published in 1820. In 

 1831 Mr. William Lord presented to the Zoological 

 Society about thirty skins of birds collected during the 

 previous summer in Shetland ; among them was one speci- 

 men of the Masked Gull, or Brown-headed Gull, as it was 

 also called, the Larus capistratus of Temminck, of which I 

 published a description, with measurements, in the Society's 

 Proceedings for that year, page 151. In 1833, in a notice 

 of birds found near Carlisle, published by T. C. Heysham, 

 Esq., is the following record: " The Lesser Brown-headed 

 Gull, Larus capistratus. An immature female of this rare 

 Gull was accidentally procured near Sandsfield on the 6th 

 of June. It was found associating with several of the 

 Black-headed species, Larus ridibundus, but remained after 

 all its congeners had taken wing, was shot at, and fortu- 

 nately killed. From an inspection of this bird, we are 

 satisfied that this species may be very easily overlooked, 

 and that many ornithologists would consider it merely a 

 small specimen of the Black-headed Gull. Weight eight 

 ounces and a quarter; length twelve inches and a half; 

 wing from the bend eleven inches and three-quarters ; bill 

 to the front one inch and one tenth ; bill to the gape, or 

 rictus, one inch and eight-tenths ; tarsi one inch and six- 

 tenths ; middle toe and claw one inch and five-tenths." 

 T. C. Eyton, Esq., in his catalogue of the birds of Shrop- 

 shire and North Wales, mentions that one specimen had 

 been killed near Bangor, and was in his own collection. 



M. Temminck says this species has been taken in Baffin's 

 Bay and Davis' Straits. Professor Calvi of Genoa notices 



