Distribution of Birds in North Russia. 211 



(41) Larus argentatus^ L. No. 279 in Tables. 



Records of this species in the S.W. District will, I believe, 

 be found to apply to the yellow-legged race — Larus affiniSj 

 Reinh. {Larus cachinnans, Pall.), which was the only Herring- 

 Gull recognized by Alston and myself when travelling to 

 Archangel in 1872, and having the dark mantle, although we 

 confounded the two species, and made no mention of it in our 

 paper (12) at that time. Larus argentatus will, I think, be 

 found to occur only in the North-west and North-central Dis-* 

 tricts, more sparingly in the latter, abundantly in the former — 

 as, for instance, at Solovetsk, where they are carefully pro- 

 tected and tended by the monks. Those gulls found to the 

 southwards will, I believe, be found to belong to Larus affinis ; 

 or if Larus argentatus be found, it will only be in diminish- 

 ing numbers. We must look to Herr Sievers's forthcoming 

 report for more light on this subject. 



Nor do I feel certain that many of the records of Larus 

 fuscus do not apply really to the dark-mantled Larus ajffinis. 

 The bird seen in Novaya Zemlya by Von Heuglin was pro- 

 bably Larus affinis^ and not, as he records, Larus fuscus. 

 Meves (23), speaking of the same species under the name 

 ^'' Larus leucophmus^ Licht. {^= Larus cacliinnans, Pall.)," says 

 that Dresser has figured the southern form with much paler 

 mantle than that found by him [vide ' Birds of Europe,' part 

 xxii). Seen at a distance Larus affinis could easily be mistaken 

 for Larus Juscus, from its very dark mantle, the colour of the 

 legs not being always discernible. Both Meves and Sabanaeff 

 obtained it in the S.E. Ural ; but I do not find distinct records 

 of it from present published accounts within our limits. There 

 cannot be much doubt, however, that it is found along the 

 whole range of the Ural, to its furthest breeding-places on 

 the Petchora, whilst it probably goes even as far as Novaya 

 Zemlya. 



Concluding Remarks. 



Having thus presented in tabular form the distribution of 

 the Birds of North Russia in six defined districts, I would, in 

 conclusion, endeavour to point out that some such tabular 

 method is more likely to ensure uniformity in record, if 

 adopted by naturalists, than if each author, after writing his 

 more lengthy account of tlie fauna of any given district, 

 country, or continent, or Zoographical Division, left to the 

 work of his successors the tedious and often difficult operation 

 of reconciling all his ideas of " faunal values" with those of 

 other authors. It is impossible, I think, too urgcntlvto advocate 



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