BLACK-HEADED GULL. 653 
the mouth, vermilion; bill, nearly two inches and a half long; the 
nostril is placed rather low; the eyes are black; above and below 
on the Delaware and Chesapeake, and found as far inland as Trenton. These will 
all rank in Xema, and Swainson and Richardson have described two under the titles 
of ZL, Franklinii, and L. Bonapartii. These gentlemen seem to think that the 
American ZL, atricilla is confounded with Temminck’s atricilla, and that they embrace 
two species. [ have added the descriptions from Dr. Richardson and Mr. Swain- 
son’s notes, in their own words, I have no meuns ut present of deciding this point. 
4. L, Franklinii, Swain. and Richard. — Frouklin’s Rosy Gull, with vermilion bill 
and feet ; mantle, pearl gray ; five exterior quills, broadly barred with black, the 
first one tipped with white for an inch; tarsus, twenty lines long; hood, black in 
summer. . 
“This is a very common Gull in the interior of the Fur Countries, where it frequents 
the shores of the larger lakes. It is generully seen in flocks, and is very noisy. It breeds 
in marshy places. Ord’s description of his Black-headed Gull (Wilson, vol. ix. p. 89— 
present edition, p. 652) corresponds with our specimens, except that the conspicuous 
white end of the first quill is not noticed: the figure 314 differs in the primuries being 
entirely black.* The Prince of Musignano gives the totally black primaries, and a 
tarsus nearly two inches long, aos part of the specific character of his Z. atricilla, to 
which he refers Wilson’s bird ; though, in his Observations, he states, that the adult speci- 
mens have the primaries, with the exception of the first aud second, tipped with white. 
L. Franklinii cannot be referred either to the ZL, atricilla or L. melanocephalus of M. Tem- 
minck : the first has a lead colored hood, and deep black quill-feathers, untipped by white ; 
and the black hood of the second does not descend lower on the throat than on the nape ; 
its quill-feathers are also differently marked, and its tarsus is longer. His ZL, ridibundus 
and capistratus have brown heads, and the interior of the wings gray; the latter has alsoa 
much smaller bill than our LZ. Franklinu.”? — 
5. ZL. Bonapartii, Swain. and Richards. — Bonapartian Gull. — Worth. Zool. ii. p. 425. 
—‘* With a black bill; the mouth and feet, carmine red; wings bordered with 
white anteriorly ; posteriorly, together with the back, pearl gray; six exterior 
quills, black at the end, slightly tipped with white ; the first quill entirely black 
exteriurally ; tarsus, scarcely an inch and a half long; head, grayish black in 
summer. 
“This handsome, small Gull is common in all parts of the Fur Countries, where it 
associates with the Terns, and is distinguished by its peculiar shrill and plaintive 
ery. The L. capistratus of the Prince of Musignano differs, according to his de- 
scription, in the first quill being white exteriorly, pale ash interiorly, in the light 
brown color of its head, and in its tail being slightly emarginated, while the tail of 
L. Bonaparte is even inclined to be rounded laterally, than notched in the middle.” 
6. L. roseus, Macgilliv. — A rare species confined to high latitudes, discovered during 
Sir Ed. Parry’s second voyage, when two specimens were obtained ; the one is now 
in the Edinburgh Museum ; the other wus presented to Mr. Sabine, whose collection 
has been lately sold to the Andersonian Museum in Glasgow. 
7. L. tridactylus, Linn, — Kittiewake, Wilson’s List. — Inhabiting both continents. 
8. ZL. canus, Linn. — Common Gull, Wilson’s List. — Inhabiting both continents ; and 
numerous during winter in the Middle States of America. 
9. L. eburneus, Ginel.—Inhabits the Arctic circle ; migrating occasionally to the 
temperate regions. A few specimens have been killed in Britain. 
10. L. fuscus, Linn. — Very common during winter near Philadelphia and New York. 
11. L. argentatoides, Brehm. — This bird is separated from Larus argentatus by Bona- 
parte, who mentions having shot it on the southern coasts of England. At the same 
time that he separates it from the Herring Gull, he expresses a doubt of its being the 
L, argentatoides of Brehm. This I cannot at present decide, but have appended, 
without any abridgment, the observations and description of a bird referred to thia, 
from the Worthern Zoology ; it is very closely allied, at all events, to the L. argenta- 
tus ; and it is of importance that the characters of a species said to be killed on our 
coasts should be properly investigated. 
’ 
Larus argentatoides. — Arctic Silvery Gull. 
Larus argentatus, Richards. Append. Parry’s Second Voy. p. 358, No. 22. — Larus ar- 
gentatoides, Bonap. Syn. No. 299. — Novya, Esquimaux.” 
“The Prince of Musignano has distinguished this Gull from Larus argentatus, with 
* «Four American specimens of L, atricilla are now before me. It is a larger and a totally different 
species. The three outer quills are wholly black ; the fourth tipped for about one inch, and the fifth for half 
an inch, with black ; the extreme white spot at the point of the five first quills is very small in sorne, and aot 
een in adult specimens, rel these fathers worn."’ — Sw, 
