THE BIRDS OF HELIGOLAND 559 



eight examples. Several individuals have, moreover, been shot on 

 the north coast of Alaska, and among them an autumn bird only 

 a few months old. Ross obtained the rirst examples ever seen on 

 Melville Peninsula. Parry met with it in July during his boat 

 expedition over the ice up to 82 45 ' north of Spitzbergen. An 

 example was captured by the Austrian expedition on Franz- Joseph 

 Land, and another was killed near the north-east coast of Siberia 

 during Nordenskj old's memorable northern voyage. 



It is maintained in several quarters that no land exists within 

 the Polar basin. The various spots around the Pole, however, from 

 which the occurrence of this gull has been recorded, coupled with 

 the fact that the spring migration of this species, as well as that of 

 the Tringce, geese, and other birds associated with it, was in these 

 high latitudes observed to be still directed to the north, incontro- 

 vertibly point to the conclusion that the nesting stations of these 

 birds can only be situated to the inside of these different points, 

 upon an extensive land area, free from ice only during a few brief 

 summer months, and stretching northward from the Jeannette 

 Islands to about 85 N. latitude, and thence southward in the 

 direction of Alaska, down to and below the 80th parallel. 



Of the examples of Larus rossii killed during the Jeannette 

 Expedition, Newcomb brought three away with him when the ship 

 was lost on the 13th of June, and the crew commenced their 

 terrible march across the ice from the 77th degree of northern 

 latitude down to the delta of the Lena River. We may say that 

 each traveller, in the shape of his load of provisions, literally carried 

 on his back the term of his natural life. Nevertheless, Newcomb 

 was determined to take at least three examples of his spoil with 

 him. These he succeeded in safely bringing to Washington, 

 where he handed them over into the charge of the Smithsonian 

 Institution. 



362. Ivory Gull [ELFENBEINMOWE]. 

 LARUS EBURNEUS, Phipps. 1 



Larus eburneus. Naumann, x. 341. 

 Ivory Gull. Dresser, viii. 349. 



Mouette blanche. Temminck, Manuel, ii. 769, iv. 474. 



An old, perfectly white example of this species was shot at from 

 the shore here on the 20th of January 1850. Unfortunately the 

 bird was merely wounded, and managed to escape far out to sea. 

 There had been a prevalence of easterly winds with frost from the 

 8th of the same month, and many Sea Ducks, Geese, Divers, and 



1 Pagophila eburnea (Phipps). 



