242 



LONG-WmQED SWIMMERS — LONGIPENNES. 



found it nearly as abundant about San Diego as L. occidentaUs. He speaks of its 

 habits as being very similar to those of that species ; but adds that its screams are 

 not nearly so loud, its voice seeming to be rather faint for so large a bird. It entirely 

 disappears from the Pacific coast during the summer. 



Larus californicus. 



THE CALIFORNIA GULL. 



Larus californicus, Lawr. Aim. Lye. N. Y. VI. 1854, 79; in Baird's B. N. Am. 1858, 846.— 

 B.viUD, Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, no. 663. — CouES, B. N. W. 1874, 634 ; 2d Check List, 1882, no. 

 777. — Saundrks, p. Z. S. 1878, 175. — Ridgw. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, no. 668, 



Larus delawaroisis, var. californicus, CouES, Key, 1872, 313; Check List, 1873, no. 548 a. 



Hab. Western Province of North America ; abundant on the larger inland waters as well as 

 on the coast ; north to Alaska, south to Rio de Coahuyana, Western Me.xico. 



Sp. Char. Slightly smaller than L. occi- 

 dentaUs, with much weaker bill and lighter 

 mantle. Adult, in summer : ]\Iantle deep bluish 

 cinereous, intermediate in shade lietween the 

 plumbeous of occidentaUs and the pearl-blue of 

 argentatus,^ the secondaries and tertials broadly 

 (for about one inch) tipped with white. Outer 

 primary black, its terminal portion white for 

 about two inches, with or without a black 

 subterminal spot ; second quill also black, the 

 tip white, and usually (though not always) 

 marked by a white spot (sometimes one inch long) near the end ; third quill black, tipped with 

 white, the base plumbeous ; fourth, with the basal half plumbeous-blue, the terminal half black, 

 tipped with white ; fifth similar, but the 

 black more restricted, and the line of de- 

 marcation between the black and blue still 

 more sharply defined ; sixth, lighter plum- 

 beous-blue, passing into white toward the 

 end, and crossed by a wide subterminal 

 band of black ; remaining quills cinereous- 

 blue, broadly tipped with Avhite. Re- 

 mainder of the plumage snow-white. 

 Bill yellow, varying from greenish-lemon 

 to chrome, the terminal third of the man- 

 dible bright red (varying from orange-red 

 to carmine), the tip again yellow ; a more 

 or less distinct dusky spot in or immedi- 

 ately in front of the red, and one directly 

 above it on the maxilla, the tip of Avhich 

 is sometimes grayish white ; rictus and 

 eyelids vermilion red ; iris dark hazel or 

 van dyke-brown ; legs and feet pale pea-green, 

 sometimes tinged with grayish.^ Adult, in 

 ivinter : Similar, but head and neck 

 (except underneath) broadly streaked 

 with grayish brown. Young, first plu- 

 mage: Above, coarsely spotted, in nearly 



1 Exactly as in L. cnchinnans, Pallas ! 



2 Notes from upward of fifty freshly-killed specimens ! (Cf. Eidgway, "Orn. Fortieth Par." 1877, 

 p. 637.) 



