GULLS 159 



n. N. Y. (casually), and n. Que.; winters from B. C., the Great Lakes, and 

 Mass. s. to Bermuda, the Gulf coast, Cuba, and s. Mex. 



Washington, very common T. V., Feb.-Apl. 5; Oct.-Nov.; rare in win- 

 ter. Long Island, regular T. V., abundant in fall; casual in winter and 

 summer; Sept. 5-Nov. 12; Mch. 27-May 15. Ossining, casual T. V. SE. 

 Minn., T. V., Mch. 23, Oct. 10, 



Nest, of grasses, etc., on the ground. Eggs, 2-3, clay-color, buffy, or 

 whitish, rather evenly spotted with chocolate, 2'30 x 1*65. Date, Stump 

 Lake, N. D., May 31. 



The coast-inhabiting individuals of this species resemble the Her- 

 ring Gull in habits, and are not easily identifiable from that species 

 unless the two be seen together, when the smaller size of the Ring-bill 

 is noticeable. 



In the interior, where the species is locally common, it feeds in 

 part on insects, which it catches both on the ground and in the air. 



The SHORT-BILLED GULL (55. Larus brachyrhynchus) of Western North 

 America, is accidental in Quebec. 



The MEW GULL (56. Larus canus) a European species has been 

 reported once from Labrador. 



58. Larus atricilla Linn. LAUGHING GULL. (Fig. 23, 6). Ads. in 

 summer. Back and wings dark pearl-gray; primaries black, inner ones 

 with small white tips (Fig. 78, c); whole head and throat deep slate-color; 

 rest of plumage, including nape, pure white, breast sometimes suffused by 

 a delicate peach-blossom tint; bill dark reddish brighter at the tip. Ads. 

 in winter. Resemble above, but have the head and throat white, crown and 

 sides of head and sometimes nape spotted or streaked with grayish. Im. 

 Upperparts light ashy fuscous, the feathers margined with whitish; pri- 

 maries black; forehead and underparts white, sometimes washed in places 

 with dusky; tail dark pearl-gray, broadly tipped with black. L., 16*50; W.. 

 12-50; T., 4-90; B., 1'65. 



Range. Tropical and temperate coasts. Breeds from Maine (rarely) 

 and Mass, (abundantly but locally) s. on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts to 

 Tex., the Lesser Antilles and Venezuela; winters from Ga. and Gulf coast s. 

 to w. Mex., Chile, and Brazil; casual in Colo., Nebr., Wise., Ont., and 

 Iowa. 



Washington, irregular in Sept. Long Island, rare S. R., irregular S. 

 V., Apl.-Sept. (Butcher). 



Nest, of grasses, seaweed, etc., in grassy marshes. Eggs, 3-4, varying 

 from grayish olive-brown to greenish gray, spotted, blotched, and scrawled 

 with chocolate, 2' 15 x 1'55. Date, Corpus Christi, Tex., Apl. 8; Cobb's 

 Is., Va., May 26; Muskeget Is., Mass., June 7. 



This is the only Gull nesting on our Atlantic coast south of 

 Maine. It was formerly abundant and generally distributed but is 

 now found only locally, the colonies on Western Egg Rock in Maine 

 and Muskeget Island, Massachusetts, being the only ones north of 

 southern New Jersey. 



When nesting, the Laughing Gull is an inhabitant of the salt marshes. 

 On Cobb's Island, Virginia, the sitting birds were so conspicuous that 

 from a distance they looked like white flowers dotting the marsh. The 

 downy young, however, are much darker than young Terns, the general 

 tone of their plumage resembling that of the reeds of which the nest is 

 made. 



