﻿128 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATH 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  either 
  of 
  those 
  birds, 
  ahhough 
  a 
  faded 
  out 
  Herring 
  gtill 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  Avinter 
  

   might 
  be 
  mistaken 
  for 
  the 
  jiivenal 
  pkimage 
  of 
  the 
  Kumhen 
  gull. 
  Students 
  

   should 
  be 
  ver\- 
  \var\- 
  of 
  trvino" 
  to 
  recognize 
  at 
  a 
  distaneean\- 
  of 
  our 
  rarer 
  gulls 
  

   in 
  their 
  immature 
  plumage. 
  This 
  can 
  be 
  done 
  with 
  eertaint}' 
  cnily 
  when 
  the 
  

   bird 
  is 
  in 
  the 
  hand, 
  or 
  in 
  very 
  exceptional 
  circumstances. 
  The 
  Ring- 
  

   billed 
  gull 
  is 
  considerably 
  smaller 
  than 
  the 
  Herring 
  gull, 
  Init 
  at 
  a 
  distance 
  

   it 
  is 
  difficult 
  to 
  distinguish 
  from 
  the 
  present 
  species. 
  The 
  surest 
  way 
  to 
  

   recognize 
  the 
  species 
  is 
  to 
  get 
  near 
  enough 
  to 
  judge 
  its 
  size 
  accurate!}', 
  and, 
  

   if 
  the 
  bird 
  is 
  immature, 
  the 
  broad, 
  subtemiinal 
  black 
  band 
  on 
  the 
  tail 
  of 
  

   the 
  Ring-billed 
  gull 
  is 
  distinctive, 
  and 
  in 
  matiu-e 
  birds 
  the 
  black 
  ring 
  on 
  the 
  

   bill. 
  

  

  Distribution. 
  This 
  is 
  the 
  commonest 
  and 
  most 
  generalh' 
  distributed 
  

   gull 
  in 
  the 
  State, 
  in 
  fact 
  this 
  is 
  tnie 
  of 
  the 
  holarctic 
  realm 
  in 
  general, 
  the 
  

   American 
  and 
  the 
  palearctic 
  bird 
  now 
  being 
  considered 
  identical. 
  It 
  is 
  

   abimdant 
  along 
  the 
  coast 
  of 
  New 
  York 
  in 
  winter 
  and 
  a 
  few 
  are 
  often 
  seen 
  

   in 
  simimer. 
  It 
  is 
  almost 
  as 
  common 
  on 
  the 
  Great 
  Lakes 
  and 
  rivers 
  as 
  on 
  

   the 
  seacoast, 
  but 
  occurs 
  more 
  as 
  a 
  transient 
  visitant 
  in 
  the 
  interior, 
  especially 
  

   on 
  small 
  bodies 
  of 
  water. 
  It 
  still 
  breeds 
  in 
  the 
  Adirondack 
  region, 
  more 
  

   particulai-l)- 
  in 
  the 
  western 
  and 
  southwestern 
  portions, 
  in 
  the 
  counties 
  of 
  

   Franklin, 
  Herkimer 
  and 
  Hamilton. 
  Mr 
  L. 
  L. 
  Merriam 
  reports 
  it 
  as 
  

   common 
  and 
  breeding 
  in 
  1907, 
  on 
  Raven 
  lake 
  and 
  North 
  pond. 
  I 
  failed 
  

   to 
  find 
  it 
  breeding 
  in 
  Essex 
  count)' 
  during 
  the 
  summer 
  of 
  1905, 
  but 
  it 
  

   probably 
  was 
  breeding 
  in 
  the 
  scnithem 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  county, 
  as 
  birds 
  made 
  

   daily 
  trips 
  to 
  Elk 
  lake 
  where 
  they 
  had 
  nested 
  in 
  preceding 
  years, 
  but 
  their 
  

   nests 
  have 
  been 
  broken 
  up, 
  or 
  their 
  young 
  killed 
  b\' 
  thoughtless 
  tourists 
  

   until 
  they 
  have 
  deserted 
  the 
  islands 
  in 
  that 
  lake 
  which 
  they 
  fonnerly 
  

   occupied. 
  I 
  regret 
  to 
  say 
  that 
  this 
  is 
  also 
  the 
  case 
  in 
  many 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  

   Adirondacks, 
  notwithstanding 
  the 
  law 
  which 
  has 
  been 
  passed 
  for 
  the 
  pro- 
  

   tection 
  of 
  these 
  birds. 
  It 
  is 
  said 
  that 
  they 
  formerh- 
  bred 
  on 
  the 
  islands 
  

   near 
  the 
  north 
  and 
  northeast 
  shore 
  of 
  Lake 
  Ontario, 
  but 
  no 
  evidence 
  has 
  

   been 
  found 
  that 
  the}' 
  do 
  so 
  at 
  present. 
  In 
  1902 
  a 
  small 
  sailing 
  boat 
  landed 
  

   on 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  barren 
  islands 
  and 
  foutid 
  onlv 
  dead 
  birds 
  around 
  the 
  nests. 
  

  

  