TOWNSEND AND ALLEN: LABRADOR BIRDS. 315 



We saw about 43 Great Black-backed Gulls on our trip north, 

 generally scattered pairs or single birds about the rocky islands, but 

 on July 12th we saw a flock of about 15 in St. Lewis Inlet. On the 

 return trip from Nain we counted only 25 until we neared Bradore 

 when as many as 200 were seen flying about our vessel. Mr. Schmitt 

 at Nain had found eggs of this species from the end of June to mid- 

 July. At Winsor Harbor on July 22d we saw four young birds about 

 the size of large pigeons caged in the hull of an old stranded boat, 

 where, as we were informed by the fishermen, they were being fat- 

 tened for the table. They were fed with capelin, which they swal- 

 lowed whole. 



Larus argentatus Briinn. 



Hekring Gull. 



Common summer resident. 



This is the most abundant gull in Labrador and it is more or less 

 common along the entire coast, and about the large lakes and ponds. 

 Verrill and Palmer record it as abundant at the Mingan Islands, 

 nesting on the ground; Turner states that it is "excessively abundant 

 in Hudson Strait," and Macoun says it breeds along the shores of 

 Hudson Bay. 



Audubon relates that at the time of his visit, the young birds were 

 caught by the Labrador fishermen and salted down for winter use. 

 The depredations of the fishermen on this and on other seabirds still 

 continue with the result that these birds are much diminished in num- 

 bers at the present day. 



We saw only single birds and scattered pairs or small flocks on the 

 Labrador coast except on one occasion when we observed about a 

 thousand Herring Gulls on July 18th at the mouth of Hamilton Inlet. 

 Aside from this we counted only 42 Herring Gulls on our trip north 

 along the southern and eastern coasts of Labrador and about 60 on 

 our return trip. 



Larus delawarensis Ord. 

 Ring-billed Gull. 



Uncommon summer resident locally in southern Labrador. 



Colonies of this gull have been found breeding in southern Labra- 

 dor, but very little has been ascertained in a definite way, concerning 

 the distribution of the species on these coasts. Audubon records 



