Bonaparte's gull. 655 



Young. — Bill black ; feot dusky. Traces of a hood or nape, largely slaty, &c., accord- 

 ing to precise age. Outer live or six primaries wholly black in their continnitj', rather 

 lighter and somewhat slaty at base, with or without a minute white speck at the tip. 

 Mantle gray or brown, more or less mixed with blue, according to age. Tail ashy 

 white, with a broad, black subterminal bar. Under parts white. This appears to be 

 the usual plumage of birds of the first autumn. 



Dimensions. — Length, about 14 inches ; extent, 35 ; wing, 11.25 ; tail, about 4.50 ; bill, 

 along culmen, 1.30 ; along gape, 1.75 ; height at nostril, 0.35 ; tarsus, 1.60 ; middle toe 

 and claw, about the same. The young are a little smaller, with the bill especially 

 shorter and smaller. 



This beautiful bird requires no special comparison with any other. The case of 

 " cucullaius" being disposed of, there remains little to be said on points of synonymy. 



A Lams melmiorlijinchiis of Temminck (of which I know nothing) has been adduced 

 by some authors among the synonyms of " cucullatus ; " Schlegel puts it under philaclel- 

 phia ; Messrs. Sclater and Salvin do not enumerate it in their late paper. These authors 

 query the Cli. hitilitzii of Bruch, which Schlegel, without hesitation, assigns to franklini. 

 The last-named author adduces Ch. suliuVirosfris of Bonaparte and Bruch. According 

 to Messrs. Sclater and Salvin, the L, lAnereo-candatns of Philippi and Landbeck belongs 

 here. 



In North America, as far as is known, this Gull is confinecl to the 

 interior, west of the Mississippi. I have met with it on several occa- 

 sions ; in Kansas, during the spring migration, and in Northern Dakota, 

 where, at Turtle Mountain, I took in July a bird so young that I felt 

 satisfied it had been hatched not far off. It breeds in the adjoining 

 British province of Manitoba, as attested by eggs in the Smithsonian, 

 one of which was lately described by Prof. Newton, as above cited. The 

 egg is 2^ inches long, If broad, and closely resembles that of the Esqui- 

 maux Curlew in size, shape, and color, though the dark splashes are 

 more evenly distributed over the surface. The very young bird, just 

 mentioned, measured 13.75 x 33.75 x 9.75 ; tail, 4 ; bill, 1.10 ; tarsus, and 

 middle toe and claw, each, 1.65. The bill was livid blackish, with pale 

 base of under mandible ; the feet were iiesh-colored. The habits of the 

 species are essentially the same as those of its congeners ; its extensive 

 dispersion through Middle and South America is perceived from the 

 foregoing quotations. 



LAEUS (OHRCEGOCEPHALUS) PHILADELPHIA, (Ord) Gray. 



Bonaparte's Gull. 



sterna Philadelphia, Ord, Guthrie's Geog. 2d Am. ed. ii, 1815, 319. 



Chrcecocephahts Philadelphia, Lawk., B. N. A. 1858, 852; Ann. Ltc. N. Y. viii, 1866, 299.— 

 Coop. & Suck., N. H. Wash. Ter. 1860, 276.— Wheat.', Ohio. Agric. Eep. 1S60, 

 No. 269.— CouES & Pkent., Smiths. Eep. 1861, 418 (Washington, D. C.).— Ooues, 

 Pr. Phila. Acad. 1861, 247 (Labrador) ; ibid. 1862, 310 (critical) ; ibid. 1866, 99 

 (Arizona); ibid. 1871, 41 (North Carolina).— CouES, Pr. Ess. Inst, v, 186S, 307 

 (New England). —Cooes, Pr. Best. Soc. xii, 1868, 126 (South Carolina).— Verr., 

 Pr. Ess, lust, iii, 1862, 155 (Maine).— Boaedm., Pr. Bost. Soc. is, 1862, 131 

 (Maine,).— Allen, Pr. Ess. Inst, iv, 1804, 80 (Massachusetts).- Dall & Bvyjs-., 

 Tr. Chic. Ac. 1869, 305 (Alaska).— Mayx., N. Guide, 1870, 151 (Massachusetts).— 

 Newt., P. Z. S. 1871, 57, pi. 4, f. 6 (egg). 



Larus Philadelphia, Gkay, List Br. B. 1863, 235 (Great Britain).— Hart., Br. B. 1872, 172 

 (Great Britain; six instances).— Coues, Kev, 1872, 316; Check-list, 1874. No. 

 556.— Eldgw., Ann. Lye. N. Y. x, 1874, 391 (Illinois). 



Larus pMladelpMcus, Turnb., B. E. Pa. 1869, 38. 



Larus capisiratus, Bp., Am. Orn. iv, ; Syu. 1623, 358. (Not of authors.) 



Larus bonapartei, ElCH., F. B. A. ii. 1831, 425, pi. 7-2,- Nutt.. Man. ii, 1834, 294.— AuD , 

 Orn. Biog. iv, 212, pi. 324 ; Syn. 1839, 323 ; B. Am. vii, 1844, 131, pi. 452.— Gii;., 

 B. L. I. 1844, 359.— Pdtn., Pr. Ess. Inst, i, 1856, 221.— Schl., Mns. P.-B. i\', 1863, 

 Lari, p. 41. (Not of SCL. & Salv., P. Z. S. 1868, 178 (Peru), which is L. sevra- 

 nus; see ibid. 1871, 577.) 



Xema honapartei, Bp., List, 1838, 62. 



Chroicocephalus bonapartei, Bruch, J. f. 0. 1855, 292. 



Garia bonapartei, Bp., Compt. Eend. 1856, 771.— Blas., J. f. 0. 1865, 371. 



{1) Larus minutus. Sab., Frankl. Journ. 693.— EiCH., F. B. A. ii, 1831, 426 (most probably). 



0) " Lams r>ielanurus, Ord." (Fide Bp.) (Where?) 



(0 ■' Larus melanorhynchus, Temm, Mus. Lugd." (Fide Said.) (Cf. Blas., J. f. O. I860, 371.) 



