74 THE BIRDS OF NEW JERSEY. 



neck white, somewhat streaked with dusky; back, dark 

 slate, darker than any of our other gulls; rump and tail, 

 pure white, as well as the entire under part; long wing 

 feathers black with white tips. 



The nest is built on the ground, of grasses and seaweed; 

 the eggs are three by two and one-fourth inches in size, 

 of a dirty white with brown spots, and either two or 

 three in number. Its breeding location is the North Al- 

 lantic coast and it winters southward as far as New Jersey, 

 though the bulk do not come quite so far south. 



£rt«l{, Bonaparte^s. — Length, fourteen inches; bill, 

 one and one-tenth inches, black; head, white, tinged with 

 gray, with dark spots over the ear; back, pearl gray; three 

 outer wing feathers mostly white; the outermost black 

 externally, all the long wing feathers black on their term- 

 inal portion; rump and tail and under parts pure white. 

 In summer the heads " become very dark gray while the 

 young birds have a terminal black band on the tail. 



The nest is built on stumps or in bushes or trees; it is 

 made of sticks, lined with grass. The eggs are two 

 inches by one and two-fifths in size, of an olive color, 

 with greenish tint, and three or four in number. The 

 bird breeds in the far north and spends the winter in the 

 West Indies and Mexico and as far south as South 

 America; in New Jersey it is transient during migrations 

 but not very common. It adds to the usual marine food 

 gathered by gulls from the surface of the water, insects 

 and beetles. 



€ruU, Mterritig, or Winter Gull. — Length, twenty- 

 four inches; biU, two inches and a quarter, yellow with a 

 bright red spot; head, white, sometimes streaked with 

 dusky; back, pearl gray; rump and tail and entire under 

 surface of the body white; long wing feathers black for 

 their terminal portion, tipped with white. Young birds 

 have the wings and tail brownish, and the whole plum- 



