LAEUS. 421 



purple. On two eggs in the British Museum the markings take the form of streaks 

 and lines, which are interlaced and show an intricate pattern \ 



3. Larus atricilla. 



Laughing Gull, Catesby, Nat. Hist. Carol, i. p. 89, t. 89 '. 



Larus atricilla, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 225 ' ; Salv. Ibis, 1864, p. 381 ' ; 1865, pp. 188 *, 190 ' ; 



1889, p. 379 ' ; Scl. & Salv. P. Z. S. 1871, p. 576 ' ; Baird, Brewer, & Ridgway, Water-Birds 



N. Amer. ii. p. 254' ; Ferrari-Percj;, Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. ix. p. 179' j Herrera, La Nat. (2) 



i. pp. 188", 329" ; Stone, Pr. Acad. Phil. 1890, p. 202"; A. O. U. Check-1. N. Amer. 



Birds, 2nd ed. p. 20 " ; Saunders, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xxv. p. 194 " ; Gates, Cat. Eggs 



Brit. Mus. i. p. 206 ". 

 Chroicocephalus atricilla, Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 233"; Coues, Ibis, 1864, p. 388"; Duges, 



La Nat. i. p. 142"; Lawr. Mem. Bost. See. N. H. ii. p. 317"; Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus. 



no. 4, p. 51 "; Sumichr. La Nat. v. p. 234 ^' ; Zeledon, Cat. Aves Costa Rica, p. 36". 



L. franklini similis, et interscapulio saturate schistaceo-cinereo, sed remigibus exterioribus nigris distin- 

 guendus : rostro coccineo ; pedibus sordide rubris ; iride brunnea. Long, tota eirca 14-0, alae 12-1, 

 caudae 4-7, culm. 1'4, tarsi 1-75. (Descr. maris adulti ex Lighthouse Eeef. Mus. nostr.) 



Hob. North Amekica, Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States, north to Maine and 

 Nova Scotia ^^. — Mexico, Pacific coast (Mathew i*), Mazatlan ( Grayson ^ ^^), Manza- 

 nillo, Colima [Lloyd'^^), Guanajuato, Guadalajara (Duges^^), coasts of the Gulf 

 of Tehuantepec, Juchitan, Ventosa, San Mateo [Sumichrast ^^ ^^), Valley of Mexico 

 {Herrera ^^ i^), Vera Cruz, Jalapa, Vega de Alatorre {Ferrari-Perez % Progreso, 

 Yucatan {Stone & Baker i^), Cozumel I. ( Gaumer ^) ; British Honduras, Belize i* i^, 

 Saddle Cay ^, Lighthouse Reef i* {0. S.) ; Guatemala, Atlantic and Pacific coasts 7, 

 Chiapam i* n Champerico ^^ {0. S.), Vera Paz {Hague i") ; Costa Rica {Zeledon 22). 

 — Guiana 1* ; N. Brazil 1* ; W. coast of America to N. Peru ^^ ; West Indies 1*. 



The Laughing Gull is a maritime species, chiefly frequenting the tidal waters on the 

 eastern side of North America to the Gulf of Mexico and extending to the West Indies, 

 breeding throughout this area ^^. Salvin found L. atricilla common near Belize in 

 May, and it is said to nest on the Cays along the coast \ In Vera Cruz, Ferrari-Perez 

 met with the species at Vega de Alatorre in July ^. On the eastern coast of America 

 it ranges in winter to Guiana and Northern Brazil ^^ ; westward the species reaches 

 California and the coasts of Mexico. Sumichrast met with this Gull in Tehuantepec 

 from August to February 20, and Herrera says that it comes to the Valley of Mexico 

 early in October ^^. We have specimens from both coasts of Guatemala, those from the 

 Atlantic in summer plumage, either perfectly or partially assumed, while those obtained 

 from Chiapam on the Pacific side are in winter or immature dress. 



According to Dr. Brewer, this species breeds in large companies. Audubon says 

 that it never travels beyond the tidal waters on the south and east coast of North 

 America. It is timid and shy as a rule, but when its breeding-places are attacked it 

 becomes very bold in their defence ^. 



