LARUS AEGENTATUS, HERRING GULL. 625 



Primaries and tail deep brownish-black, tbe former tipped, sabterminally barred, and 

 its enter feather mottled, with whitish. 



Dimensions. — Lenth, 30.00 inches ; extent, 65.00 ; wing from the carpns, 1?.50 ; bill 

 above, ■2..')0 ; rictus, ;i..')0 ; height at nostril, 0.85 ; at angle, 0.95; tarsus, 3.00; njiddle 

 toe and claw slightly less. 



The very large size of this bird and its dark colors at once separate it from any other 

 of North America, and render comparisons uunecessary. 



I cannot understand the following statement of Audubon (B. Am. vii, p. 178) : " The 

 most remarkable circumstance relative to these birds is, that they either associate with 

 another species, giving rise to a hybrid breed, or that when very old they lose tbe dark 

 color of the back, which is then of the same tint as that of L. argentatiis, or even 

 lighter." It is difficult to understand how Audubon could have eutertaiued such an 

 opinion. That the marinus should accidentally hybridize with argentatiis or glaucus is 

 not impossible, though improbable; but to suppose that it regularly does so. or that 

 it "grows gray" with the advancing years, seems unreasonable. Audubon's state- 

 ment that the Larm argentatiis (smithsonianus) is not found on the Labrador coast, is 

 equally erroneous. 



Both Bonaparte and Brnoh give several species of Dominicanus, all more or less closely 

 allied with the present. Tbe species found in North America is the true marinus of 

 Linnieus, whatever may be said of the relationships of the others. 



For so long knuwn a species the present has remarkably few synonyms, owing to the 

 many distinctive characters presented by it. Xa'vius of Gmelin, and also probably 

 macnlatns of Boddiert, are based upon the immature bird. Maculatus of Briinnich, 

 however, cannot be this species, since it is said to be of tbe same size as L. camis. As 

 usual, several nominal species have been instituted by Brehm. 



LAEUS AEGENTATUS, Bruun. 

 Herring Gull. 



a. argentatus. 



Lxrus einereus. Beiss., Orn. vi, 1760, 160, pi. 14. 



Larus argentatiis, ButJNN., Orn. Bor. 1764, 44.— Gm., Syst. Nat. i, 1788,600.— Te^vim., Man. 

 1850, 764 ; iv, 1840, 470.— BoiE, Isis, 1822, 562.— Wolf & Mey., Zusiit. Tasch. 

 1822, 195.— Steph., Gen. Zool. xiii, 1826, 191.— Flem., Br. An. 1H2H, 140.— Jen., 

 Man. 1835, 276.— Eyt., Cat. 1836, 52.— Bp., List, 1838, 63.— Keys. & Bl.4S., Wirb. 

 Eur. i, 1840, 96.— M.\CGii.., Man. ii, 1842, 246.— Schl., Rev. Crit. 1644, 124.— 

 Degl., Orn. Eur. ii, 1849, 306.— Ghay, Gen. of B. iii, 1849, 054; List Br. B. 186;^ 

 232.— Haktl., Syst. Orn. W. Afr. 1857, 251.— ScHi,., Mus. P.-B. iv, 186.3, Lari, 16 

 (includes the other varieties).— Bocage, Joru. Sc. Lisbon, 1868, 149, 330. — ' 

 I5la8., J. f. O. 1865, 380 (unites leucophwus. micliahellesii, and caeliinnans). — 

 Dress., B. Eur. pt. — . pi. — . 



Laroidcs argentatus, Bkehm, V. D. 1831, 740.— Brhch, J. f O. 1855, 282.— Bp., Consp. ii,. 

 1856, 218 ; Naum. 1854, 212. 



Glaucus argentatus, Broch, J. f. 0. 1853, 101. 



Larus fuscus, Penx., Brit. Zool. ii, 1768, 131.— JN^ec Auctt.— Mont., Orn. Diet. 1802. 



Go'eland ct maiiteau gris, Buff., Hist. Nat. Ois. viii, 1781, 406, pi. 32.— P. E. 253. 



Larus marinus, var. j}.. Lath., Ind. Orn. ii, 1790, 814. 



Larus glaueus, Eetz., Fn. Suec. i, 1800, 156.— Wolf & Mey., Tasch. ii, 1810, 471.— 

 Benick., Ann. Wett. Ges. Nat. iii, 1812, 138.— Tejim., Man. 1815, 493 (partly).— 

 JVee Auctt. 



Larus argenteus, Brehm, Beit. Vtigelk. iii, 1822, 781, 799. 



Laroides argenteus, Brehm, V. D. 1831, 741. 



Larus argemtatoides, Brehm, Beit. Vogelk. 1822, 791, 799 (partly). 



Laroides argentatoides. Breh.m, V. D. 1831, 742. 



Larus argentatoides, Thomps., P. Z. S. 1835, 83 (Ireland). 



Laroides major, Brehm, V. D. 1831, 738. 



Laroides argenfaceiis, Brehm, V. D. 1831, 742.— Bp., Consp. ii, 1856, 218. 



b. smithsonianus. 



Larus argentatoides, Brehm, Beitr. Vogelk. 1822, 791, 799 (in part; "Germany and 

 America.")— (?) Bp., Syn. 1828, 360, No. 299 (may be dciaitarensis).- (?) Sw. & 

 Rich., F. B. A. ii, 1831, 417 (may be caH/o7-«ic«s).— Schinz, Eur. Fn. i, 1840,380 

 ("North America").— Bp., Rev. Zool. 1855, 16 ("North America"). 



Glaucus argentatoides, Bruch, J. f. O. 1853, 101 ("North America"). 



Laroides argentatoides, Bp., Naum. 1&54, 212 ("North America"); Consp. ii, 1856,, 218.— 

 Bhuch, .J. f. 0. 1855, 282 ("North America"). 

 40 



