554 THE BIRDS OF HELIGOLAND 



The breeding zone of this species extends completely round the 

 Pole into very high latitudes. Captain Feilden found it in Smith's 

 Sound and Baffin's Bay ; Parry, north of Spitzbergen, in 82| N. lat. : 

 it is also found nesting on Nova Zernbla, in northern Scandinavia, 

 Greenland, Arctic America ; and ranges southwards to the coasts 

 of Great Britain. About ninety years ago a fair number used 

 to breed at one spot on the west coast of Heligoland, old Aeucke 

 O. Aeuckens the father of our three brothers having seen the 

 birds there in his boyhood. 



356. Great Black-headed Gull [GROSSE SCHWARZKOPF- 



MOWE]. 



LARUS ICHTHYAETUS, Pallas. 



Larus ichthyaetos. Keyserling and Blasius, Wirbelthiere Europas, pp. 



xcv. and 241. 



Great Black-headed Gull. Dresser, viii. 369. 

 Mouette ichthyaetos. Temruinck, Manuel, iv. 472. 



This large, black-headed, distinguished-looking species has 

 occurred here once, unfortunately before I was collecting, and 

 there are reasons for believing that it has been seen a second time. 

 I have not, up to the present time, been able to obtain an example, 

 nor is there, unfortunately, any probability of my doing so. 

 Still, the fact that many another rare stranger from the home of 

 this species adorns my collection, and its occurrence in England in 

 1858 or 1859 (Dresser), leaves me the hope of still seeing its vacant 

 place in my collection filled up. 



Hitherto this bird has only been found breeding in the area of 

 the Caspian, on the Lower Volga, and more rarely on the Black Sea. 

 Tristram met with it in winter on the Lake of Galilee, and other in- 

 vestigators have found it on the Red Sea and on the coasts of India. 



357. Black-headed Gull [LACHMOWE]. 

 LARUS R1DIBUNDUS, Linn. 



Heligolandish : Lachtnoow = Laughing Gull. 



Larus ridibundus. Nauinann, x. 364. 

 Slack-headed Gull. Dresser, viii. 357. 

 Mouette rieuse. Temminck, Manuel, ii. 780, iv. 485. 



Old birds of this species with brown head are only rarely seen 

 or shot here. Quite young birds, with their backs still brown, are 

 also rare, and only met with as solitary individuals. But younger, 



