THE BONAPAllTIAN GULL. -S^i 



tained. Since I first noticed the species, a few individuals have 

 been procured on the shores of continental Europe. A very rare 

 gull, closely allied to the preceding, may also be noticed, although 

 it is not, strictly speaking, American, nor has it been obtained 

 there in any but a single instance* : — I allude to the 



Lams mimittis, 



a beautiful adult example of which, shot in the estuary, about 

 tliree miles from Belfast, on the 23rd of December, 1847, came 

 under my examination within an hour after being killed. 



'' We cannot think of the occurrence of the three preceding- 

 species of Xema or black-headed gulls within so limited an area, 

 without reflecting that many species of birds of whicli we are 

 now ignorant, may visit the British coasts. If in the estuary at 

 Belfast, on the eastern coast of Ireland, North American species 

 are thus met with, how much more likely are they to visit, un- 

 noticed by any one, the western and northern coasts of the island, 

 as well as those of Scotland ! 



" Of the other Xema, known as British, X. ridibundus and 

 X. capistratus (regarded by me as one speciest) arc common in 

 the locality indicated for the othersj ; the remaining one, 

 X. atricilla, has been observed on two occasions on the south 

 coast of England, and by Montagu only. Of the two|| additional 

 European species, X. melanocephakmi and X. ichthyaetiim, the 

 former inhabits ^southern,' the latter 'south-eastern' Europe. 

 Xema FranJdmi is now the only North American species which 

 has not been obtained in Europe." 



" * ' Faun. Bor. Amer.' p. 426. The species is uot included in the Prince of 

 Canino's subsequently published list of North American Birds. 



" t See Zool. Proceedings, 1845 ; — copied into the ' Annals,' vol. x\ i. p. 357, 

 and Yarrell's 'Brit. Birds,' 2nd edit., preface, p. xi. In the three works, t lie last 

 word of the foot-note is printed ' hood ' instead of head. 



" \ The species of Lams (as distinguished, from Xema) frequenting Belfast 

 Bay are L. marimis, L. fuscus, L. argentatus, L. canus, L. tridactylvs, and 

 L. Ishindicus ; all of which arc common but the last : it was once obtained. Speci- 

 mens of these, as well as of the Xemce noticed from the same locality, are preserved iu 

 the Belfast iMuseum, [One individual of the L. glaucus has since been prociu-cd.] 



" II X. plumiceps, Bonap., is uot enumerated iu the ' Wirbclthiere Europa's,' or 

 ' Rev. Crit. des Oiseaux d'Europc ' (Schlegcl)." 



VOL. III. Y 



