BIRDS OF KANSAS. 29 



franklinu), the secondaries pure white, becoming gradually pale grayish blue 

 toward bases; most of the exposed portions of the greater coverts also white, 

 forming, together with the secondaries, a conspicuous longitudinal white stripe 

 on the closed wing. Four outer primaries black, broadly tipped with white, 

 the inner webs broadly margined with the same; fifth quill, with the greater 

 part of the inner web, and about 1.75 inches of the terminal portion of the 

 outer, white, the remainder black; remaining quills white; outer border of 

 wing, from the carpal back to the primary coverts, including the latter and the 

 alulae, uniform black. Bill black, tipped with yellow; eyelids red; iris brown; 

 feet dull lead color; claws black. Adult, in winter: Similar to the summer 

 plumage, but head and neck white, except occiput, nape and auricular region, 

 which are dull dusky plumbeous. Young, first plumage: Crown, nape, back, 

 scapulars, wing coverts and rump brownish gray, each feather bordered termi- 

 nally with light fulvous or pale grayish buff, this fulvous border preceded on 

 the tertials, longer scapulars, etc., by a dusky internal sub-border; greater wing 

 coverts and secondaries white, as in the adult; primaries much as in the adult. 

 Tail white, with a broad subterminal band of black, the tip narrowly white or 

 pale fulvous; upper tail coverts and entire lower parts white. Bill dusky, 

 brownish toward the base; feet light brownish (in the skin)." 



Stretch of 

 Length. wing. Wing. Tail. Tarsus. Bill. 



Male 14.00 34.00 10.50 ;".00 1.30 1.05 



Female... 13.25 32.50 lu.OO 4.50 1.25 1.00 



This elegant bird was first discovered as a new species by Sir 

 Edward Sabine, on the coast of Greenland, while accompanying 

 Ross and Parry in their first Arctic expedition. It has since 

 been found to be quite common during the breeding season in 

 the extreme northern portion of the continent; also in Asia, oc- 

 curring occasionally in Europe. It winters chiefly within the 

 Arctic circle, but occasionally visits the United States. One, in 

 its migratory or wandering flight, has been captured on the 

 coast of Peru, and its occasional occurrence through the conti- 

 nent may be looked for. 



A young male, on the 19th of September, 1876, flew into a 

 billiard saloon in Humboldt, Kansas, at midnight, no doubt at- 

 tracted there by the light of the burning lamps that brightly 

 reflected out into the darkness, I have the specimen in the 

 Goss Ornithological Collection; also a pair that I shot May 

 22d, 1882, about thirty miles off the coast from Cape Flattery. 

 There were twelve of the birds in the flock, flying slowly north- 

 ward, and near the surface of the water. 



In habits, appear to be similar to Bonaparte's Gull. They 



