116 



-; WILSON BULLETIN No. ill. 



they occurred at the Point, but of that wo have no record. The last 

 of November, 1907, a number were taken on the Detroit River, and 

 December 10 we received a bird from Gardner at the Point. He in- 

 forms us that several were seen on the lake in the morning. In the 

 afternoon but one remained, and it appeared weak and unable to 

 fly. The next morning it was found dead and washed ashore on 

 the beach. For further details of the occurrence of this bird see 

 Fleming. Proc. IVth, Int'nl Cong., 1905. pp. 528-43. 



208. *Larus delaivarensis. Ring-billed Gull. 



Probably owing to the practical difficulty of separating this spe- 

 cies from the larger Herring Gull the Ring-bill had, up to the fall of 

 1907, escaped our observation. However, that year, August 25 and 

 to the time of our departure, September G, we found them very 

 common. Several were taken and proved to be juvenile birds, and 

 all seen seemed to be in the same plumage. If anything it was 

 rather more numerous than the Herring Gull, with which it con- 

 stantly associated. We had every opportunity to study the two spe- 

 cies together and found that about the only practical distinction that 

 could be made between them in life was that of size, and then only 

 when both were present and close enough together to allow of close 

 comparison. The young Herring Gull having the same appearing 

 ring on the bill as this species renders that mark of little reliability 

 in juvenile birds. The tail of the former in immature stages is 

 practically all fuscus, while in the Ring-bill it is mostly light at the 

 base with a broad bar across near the end. This, however, is only 

 observable from the upper surface, and so is seldom available as a 

 field mark. August 15-16, 1908, we found quite a number already at 

 the Point, so they must return early in August from their breeding 

 grounds on Lake Huron. 



209. Merganser serrator. Red-breasted Merganser. 



Under the head of American Merganser we stated that undoubt- 

 edly both species of Merganser occurred, but that amcricanus was 

 the only one of which we had so far received authoritative data. 

 Since that writing, however, we have been enabled to add this spe- 

 cies definitely to our list, and at the same time added another in- 

 teresting episode to our Pelee experiences. 



May 1-3, 1908, the weather was very severe for that time of the 

 year. A strong gale prevailed through the 1st and 2d, with a heavy 

 snow storm through the afternoon of the latter date. The water, was 

 very high and the outer end of the Point was submerged for a dis- 

 tance of about half a mile, its outer tip bathed in raging surf, dash- 

 ing great masses of feathery spume high in the air. Just around the 

 end of the Point and just beyond the line of the most troubled water 

 lay a mixed flock of ducks and grebes not more than fifty feet from the 



