TOWNSEND AND ALLEN: LABRADOR BIRDS. 313 



Larus glaucus Brunn. 



Glaucous Gull; Burgomaster; "White Winter Gull." 



Common summer resident in northern Labrador, rare in southern 

 Labrador; a few winter. 



Audubon speaking of the southern coast says: "I found this species 

 on the coast of Labrador in very small numbers, all paired, in the 

 month of July." They were very shy and he found no nests. Coues 

 saw but few though he was told there was a colony at Esquimaux 

 Bay. Packard stated that the bird "breeds plentifully on the eastern 

 and southern coast of Labrador." Frazar said: "Occasionally up 

 to the last of May, I would see one of this species, but saw none later 

 than that. Doubt if it ever breeds where I was" (Cape Whittle). 

 Bigelow found the bird common north of Cape Harrison, and partic- 

 ularly abundant at Port Manvers. Young birds appeared in num- 

 bers about the end of August. Macoun says that large numbers 

 bred on the cliffs at Richmond Gulf in July, 1898. Low found it 

 "common throughout the interior; seen May 19th; eggs June 14th." 



We first met with the Glaucous Gull several miles up St. Lewis 

 Inlet on July 12th. Here we saw two or three with a flock of about 

 40 Herring Gulls and 15 Great Black-backed Gulls. When first 

 seen they were standing on a ledge of rocks near the water. On our 

 way north from this point we saw a dozen or more of these birds, and 

 the same number on the return trip. We saw none on the southern 

 coast. A pair appeared to be breeding on Sloop Island off Hopedale. 

 On one high crag rising for some hundreds of feet from the sea, near 

 Nain, we saw at least four pairs of these snowy birds, evidently nest- 

 ing. In each case, one of the pair seemed to be sitting on the nest 

 where a slight ledge made possible a growth of green plants, while 

 near by stood the mate, basking in the afternoon sunlight. Several 

 times we saw them flying about the ice floes or perched on the shelf 

 of an iceberg. Most of them showed the pearl gray mantle of the 

 adult, while several, presumably immature birds, were of a uniform 

 white with a slight but distinct buffy tint and the plumage showed 

 dirty brownish patches in places. They gave the impression of 

 slightly soiled white birds. Their call note which we heard only on 

 one occasion was a sharp kuk kuk. Mr. Schmitt at Nain had found 

 the eggs of this species from the end of June to the middle of July. 



