119 [Vol. xxix. 



that it had been obtained in France, in Normandy and near 

 Paris, also in Southern France^ and that three examples 

 had been obtained in Italy, one of which was now in the 

 Turin Museum ; while one had been obtained by Dr. Blasius 

 in Brunswick. There was also a record that another example 

 had been killed in Pomerania in 1910 [c/. J. f. O. 1911, 

 p. 168]. 



Dr. Percy E.. Lowe forwarded for exhibition examples of 

 the Lesser Black-backed Gull (Lams fuscus) to show the 

 difference between the dark-backed typical form and the 

 western grey-backed race which he had recently named 

 L.f. britannicus. 



Mr, Lowe had forwarded the following notes on the birds 

 shown : — 



" The first series is comprised of birds from Sweden and 

 Norway, together with one or two specimens from countries 

 in or bordering upon the Eastern Mediterranean (e. g., 

 Cyprus, Palestine, and Egypt) ; the second series includes 

 birds taken in the British Isles, together with one or two 

 specimens from the countries bordering the Western Medi- 

 terranean [e. g., Algiers, Morocco, and Southern Spain). 



'' If we compare these two series, we find that the first is 

 characterized by having the mantle, scapulars, and wing- 

 coverts of a coloration which varies from dark slaty-black 

 in the freshly-moulted spring-feathers to a sooty or deep 

 brownish-black in later and more faded stages of plumage ; 

 while in the second series (the British form) the same parts 

 are of a clear slaty-grey colour and not nearly so dark as 

 in the first. 



"In daylight this difference in coloration is so evident 

 that it can be recognized at the merest glance, whether the 

 birds are compared in series or individually. In every bird 

 which I have examined this difference of coloration is quite 

 constant. 



" There are also other distinctive features, such as the size 

 of the wings, bills, and feet, which I think will be established 

 when larger series than I have been able to measure are 



