On the Occurrence of the Bonapartian Gull in Europe. 193 



The species is mentioned in the work referred to (p. 425) as 

 " common in all parts of the fur countries, where it associates 

 with the Terns, and is distinguished by its peculiar shrill and 

 plaintive cry/' Mr. Audubon (Orn. Biog. vol. iv. p. 212, 1838) 

 informs us, that he first met with the species in August when 

 crossing the Ohio at Cincinnati, and subsequently shot a speci- 

 men in November on the Mississippi, a few miles below the 

 mouth of the Arkansas. In Chesapeake Bay after the first of 

 April, and at the harbour of Passamoudy (Maine) in May, he saw 

 them in great abundance : — at the latter place his son killed 

 seventeen at one discharge of his double-barreled gun. It is 

 added that " none of them were observed on any part of the 

 Gulf of St. Lawrence, or on the coast of Labrador or Newfound- 

 land, and that in winter this species is common in the harbour 

 of Charleston, but none are seen at that season near the mouths 

 of the Mississippi .'' This author subsequently "found in Lon- 

 don a pair of these birds * * * which had been brought from 

 Greenland.'^ 



The dimensions of my specimen are : — 



in. lin. 



Length, total 13 9* 



Length of bill from forehead 1 I 



bill to rictus 1 9 



wing from carpal joint to end primaries 10 4 



— tarsus 1 4^ 



middle toe 1 *?\ 



middle toe nail 2^ 



of outer toe 1 li 



outer toe nail 2 



inner toe 11 



inner toe nail 2 



hind toe 2 



hind toe nail 1 



Tibia bare of feathers from tarsal joint 6 



Wings, pass the tail 1 9t 



Bill in form as described by Richardson, excepting that at the 

 base its depth exceeds its breadth. At the base of the upper 



* As measured by applying a piece of twine so as to touch each por- 

 tion of the bird in a straight line from the point of the bill to the end of the 

 tail. The bird being laid on a flat surface, the space which it occupied from 

 the point of the bill to the end of the tail was 12 inches 6 lines. The length 

 of three specimens given in the ' Faun. Bor. Amer.' was from 15 in. to 

 15 in. 6 lines. Looking to that work after my measurement was made, and 

 too late for correction (the bird being skinned), I found that the neck is 

 stretched when the length is taken, whereas in this and every similar case, 

 I have been particular that it should never be in the least stretched, but 

 placed as it were in repose. Audubon describes the adult male as 14-|^ inches 

 and the " young in December as 13f inches." 



t The figure of the adult bird in the * Faun. Bor. Amer.' does not suffi- 

 ciently exhibit the length of wings : — they are described in that work as 

 passing the tail two inches. 



Ann, ^ Mag. N. Hist. Ser. 2. Vol.i. 13 



