Flit 



LAUID.K — Tin-: (UJLLS AND TEUN8 — LAIUS. 



251) 



of the quills Iceoiuiiij,' lumrly orcpute wliite wliei-e joininj,' llu' Miu'k, nnd the Hhal't of tlio blnck 

 jiiirtitm also bliu'k ; ivinaiiiiii;^ niiill.t li>;lit ^'rayi'<li liliif, l>ri>aillv, luit not aluuptly, tipiicd witli 

 w liitt', tlie sixtli soiuuliiiies iiiaiki'd with a siilttt'i'iiiiiial Idirk siiol or liar. IJill (li'i'i* ivd, with a 

 more or Ilw distiiut darkur .siilitermiiial baiul ; I'Vilidn n'd ; IVi't tlwp red. Adult, in winlir: 

 Similar, hiit hi'ad and ni'tk wliilf. the oiiiimt, with orltilal and auricular rcj,'it)ns, f,'rayish dusky. 

 Hill and Iwt brownish, the fornicr tiinicd with ()raiij,'t!-ri'ddish. Yoiiinj, Jintl jiliimnif : Top and 

 ^idt's of the hoad (cxcciit fondioad and loix's), back, and .scaindar.^ f,'rayish brown, tin- lon^'cr scapii- 

 l.iis bordi'rod tiMiuinally with palu grayish bulf ; wing-cuvurts bluish gray, tingi'd with grayisli 



1^ 



>3i 



is 



iVo/ quite, adult (= " A. ciinilldliis"), Dimmer plumnijfi. 



brown ; swondariea dusky, edged with pale grayish Idue, and broadly tipjied with white ; prima- 

 ries dusky, the inner more plumbeous, all rather broadly tipped witii white. Central portion of the 

 rump uniform light bluish gray; lateral and ])osterior portions of the rump, upper tail-eovi.Tt.s, 

 entire lower parts, forehead, lores, andej'elids white. l?ill brownish, dusky terminally ; feet brown 

 (in skin). 



Total length, about 14.(M) inches; extent, ^.^OO ; wing, 11. '.'5 ; eulmen, 1.31); depth of bill 

 tliiough nostrils, .3."> ; tarsus, I.(!0 ; iniddh; toe, with daw, l.tiO. 



We still know coinjiarivtivoly littlo of tho spooitic, luiliit.s of Knuikliii's Ko.sy Gull; 

 nor can wo give with any exactnt's.s its goograpliical distribntion. It appears to bo 

 common throiif^hout the Fur Countries diiring the siinnner from about the .TOtli to 

 the (!r>tli parallel, and perhaps farther north. It is a great wanderer in its migrations, 

 and probably passes the winter in Central and South America. Unlike L. ati'icilla, 

 it apiiears to contino itself in the stimmer to fresh water, and is not to be found on 

 the margin of the ocean, excepting in its migrations. It was first described by Sir 

 .folin liichardson from a specimen obtaiiu'd in June, 1S27, on the Saskattdiewan. It 

 was i'ouiul to be a very common sju'cies in the interior of the Fur Countries, where 

 it frequents the shores of the larger lakes. It was almost exclusively found in flocks, 

 and was (d)served to be a very noisy bird. It breeds (diiefly in marshy jdaces. 



Captain lUakiston met with this sjjecies in the region of the Saskatchewan, wliere 

 lie biiind it rather abundant. It was breeding on the lakes of the lUiffalo Plains in 

 the summer. 



In a letter dated May 21, 18G(>, Dr. J. G. Cooper wrote me that he found this Gull 

 not nncommon in the neighborliood of Sioux City ; and thougli he had no positive 

 evidence to that effect, ho hiul no doubt that it was breeding in tluit region. 



l>r. Giraud is authority for the occurrence of this species in immature plumage on 

 hong Island ; but as no other observer has made mention of its presence on the Atlan- 

 tic, coast, this is perhaps ati error. He speaks of it as a very handsome and strongly 



