OF THE HAMILTON ASSOCIATION. 57 



Hab. Coast of the North Atlantic ; south in winter to Long Island and 

 Italy. 



Nest on the ground, eggs, three, drab, blotched with brownish black. 



This large and powerful gull is often seen by the Lake 

 Ontario fishermen following the boats, but always at a safe 

 distance. It greedily devours such dead or dying fish as may 

 be shaken clear of the nets, and furiously drives off" any of the 

 smaller gulls which would seek to share the spoil. It has evi- 

 dently a wholesome dread of man, but is not acquainted with all 

 his ways, the specimen in my collection having been poisoned 

 by swallowing a bait which was intended for a Bald Eagle. 



i6 LARUSARGENTATUSSMITHSONIANUSCouEs. 51 

 American Herrini^ Gull. 



Feet flesh-color : bill yellow with red spot ; mantle pale dull blue 

 (darker than in leucopterus, but nothing like the deep slate of marinus, much 

 the same as in all the rest of the species); primaries marked as in marinus 

 (but the great majority of specimens will be found to have the not quite 

 mature or final condition); length, 22-27 '• wings 15-18 ; tarsus, 2j-2f ; bill, 

 about 2j long, about |— | deep a base, and about the same at the protuberance. 

 In wintei ; head and hind neck streaked with dusky. Young: — At first almost 

 entirely fuscous or sooty-brown, the feathers of the back, white-tipped or 

 not ; size at the minimum above given. As its grows old, it gradually lightens ; 

 the head, neck and under parts are usually quite whitish, before the markings 

 of the quills are apparent, and before the blue begins to show, as it does in 

 patches, mixed with brown ; the black on the tail narrows to a bar, at the 

 same time the primaries are assuming their characters, but this bar disappears 

 before the primaries gain their perfect pattern. At one time the bill is flesh- 

 color or yellowish, black-tipped 



Hab. North America generally, breeding on the Atlantic coast frcm 

 Maine northward ; in winter south to Cuba and Lower California. 



Eggs, three, greenish-gray, blotched with dark brown. 



This is the most abundant bird of its class on the inland 

 lakes, it may be seen at nearly all seasons of the year either 

 soaring in wide circles overhead or passing along in front of the 

 wharves always on the alert to examine any offal which may be 

 thrown overboard from the vessels. It breeds abundantly along 

 the sea coast and also in suitable places inland, as shown by 



