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 us far inland as Trenton. ‘These will 
all rank in Xena, and Swainson and Richardson have described two under the titles 
of L. Franklinii, and L. Bonapartii. These gentlemen seem to think that: the 
American L. atriilla is confounded with Temminck’s atricilla, und 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 means ut present of deciding this point. 
4. L. Franklinii, Swain. and Richard. — Frauklin’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 generally 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 primaries being 
entirely black.* The Prince of Musignano gives the totally black primaries, and a 
tarsus nearly two inches long, as 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 caception of the first and second, tipped with white. 
L, Frankliii cannot be referred either to the ZL. atricilla or L, melanocephalus of Ms 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 also a 
much smaller bill than our L. Franklinit.”? — 
5. L. Bonapartii, Swain. and Richards. — Bonapartian Gull. — Worth. Zool: ii. p. 425. 
' —* With a black bill; the mouth and feet, carmine 1ed; wings bordered with 
white. anteriorly ; posteriorly, together with the back, pearl gray; six exterior 
quills, black at the énd, slightly tipped with white ; the first quill entirely black 
- exterivrally ; 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 T'erns, and is distinguished by its peculiar shrill and plaintive 
ery. The LZ. 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. Bonapartii 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 was presented to Mr. Sabine, whose collection 
has been lately sold to the Audersonian Museum in Glasgow. 
7. L. tridactylus, Linn. — Kittiewake, Wilson’s List. — Inhabiting both continents. 
8, L. canus, Linn. — Common Gull, Wilson’s List.— Inhabiting both continents ; and 
numerous during winter in the Middle States of America. 
9. L. eburneus, Gmel.—Inhahits the Arctic circle ; migrating occasionally to the 
temperate regions. A féw specimens have been killed in Britain. 
10. Z, fuscus, Linn. — Very common during winter near Philadelphia and New York. 
, 
| 11. ZL. 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 Brebm. This I cannot at present decide, but ‘have appended, 
without any abridgment, the observations and description of a bird referred to this, 
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. , 
‘ é 
Larus argentatoides. — Arctic Silvery Gull. 
“ Larus argentatus, Richards. Append. Parry’s Second Voy. p.. 358, No. 22. — Larus ar- 
gentatoides, Bonap. Syn. No. 299. —WVovya, Esquimaux.” i" . 
“The Prince of Musignino has distinguished this Gull from Larus argentatus, with 
\ . 
* “Pour American specimens of L. atricilia are now before me. tt 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 spat atthe point of the five fust qnills is véry small in some, and not 
i] . 
eecn in adult specimens, having these fathers worn.’? —Sw. 
