NOBLE: THE RESIDENT BIRDS OF GUADELOUPE. 367 
species is a resident. The bird seeks out the lowland streams which 
are not too overgrown with foliage. In such regions it is common. 
8. LARUS ATRICILLA ATRICILLA Linné. 
Mauve a Tete Noir. 
A few birds observed near Goyave, the latter part of August, but 
no specimens taken until September 16th at the island of St. Croix. 
A comparison of a fair series of Laughing Gulls from the Lesser 
Antilles, Greater Antilles, and Bahamas with a large series from the 
mainland of North America shows conclusively that the island birds 
are smaller than the mainland ones. No color difference is apparent 
but the decided difference in size warrants the referring of the Laugh- 
ing Gulls inhabiting the coast of North America, to a distinct race, 
which may be known as Larus atricilla megalopterus (Bruch). 
Although there is some uncertainty as to the priority of this name, 
it seems most probable that Bruch (Journ. f. ornith., 1855, p. 287) 
was the first to describe the North American Laughing Gull. Linné’s 
description was based upon Catesby (Nat. hist. Carol., 1733, 1, p. 89) 
and Catesby only mentions the Bahaman bird. It seems probable 
that Bruch when describing A. catesbyi and A. micropterus was dis- 
cussing the Bahaman bird. To be sure Bruch quotes Bonaparte as 
the authority for these names but when Bonaparte a year later (Comp. 
rend. Acad. sci., 1856, 42, p. 771) published upon the birds he gave 
Bruch as the authority. In setting up Atricilla as a generic name 
Bruch was compelled by the custom of the time to use a new name 
for Larus atricilla Linné, to avoid duplicating names. Africilla 
catesbyi refers, then, to the bird of Linné, in other words to the Ba- 
haman-Antillean race. The next bird described by Bruch was 4A. 
megalopterus and although the description (Bruch, Loc. cit., p. 287) is 
not good, he gives the type-locality as “Peru und der Mexicanische 
Meerbusen.” It is at least conservative to refer this name to the 
North American race. The name A. micropterus cannot refer to this 
race because Bruch (Jbid, p. 287) gave it to a species smaller than 
A. catesbyi, in other words smaller than the Bahaman-Antillean race. 
The difference in size between L. a. atricilla and L. a. megalopterus 
is shown in the following table. 
