CHAPTER XXXVII. 

 LONGIPENNES. 



Long-winged Swimmers — ^Altricial. 



• These are the long- winged swimmers; gulls, terns, 

 petrels, and albatrosses, the wings, in many of the birds, 

 reaching far back of the tip of the tail. The hind toe is 

 elevated, very small, or absent, according to the repre- 

 sentative bird of the ofder 

 under examination, but there 

 are but two .webbings. (Fig. 

 117.) These are all sea birds, 

 excellent ' swimmers, and 

 equally skillful on the wing. 

 Gulls are often seen inland 

 as well as along the sea-coast 

 though most species are truly 

 marine or nearly so. Their 

 distribution is nearly world- 

 wide. As to their habits, gulls 

 ni'ay be classed as oceanic, or 

 inland lake or river gulls. 

 Bonaparte's gull, migrating, 

 may be found in localities 

 reaching from the Atlantic to the Pacific; though it 

 usually nests north of our northern boundary. Franklin's 

 gull is inclined to nest inland. The inland water gulls, 

 wintering, as many of them do, in Mexico, in coming 

 north to Minnesota and Wisconsin, or to Manitoba for 

 the nesting season, have been led, at least a few of them, 



347 



Fig. 117. — Palmate foot of a tern. 



