GULLS 



(54) Larus delawarensis Ord. 



RING-BILLED GULL. Ad. in 

 Slimmer — As shown. In winter the 

 head and neck are spotted with gray- 

 ish. Im. — Above, mottled with 

 brown and pearl-gray; cox'erts and 

 primaries dusky; head, neck and un- 

 der parts mottled gray and white; 

 tail with a broad subterminal band of 

 black, tipped with white. L., ig.oo; 

 Ex., 48. oo; W., 14.50; Tar., 2.10; B., 

 1.70. Nest — A hollow on the ground, 

 usually lined with grass; the two or 

 three eggs are brownish-gray, boldly 

 spotted with black, 2.80 x 1.75. 



Range — Breeds from Quebec, Wis., 

 and Ore., north to Ungava and B. C, 

 Winters from Mass., and the Great 

 Lakes southward. 



(56) MEW GUT.L (Larus caniis) 

 has been taken at least once in 

 Labrador. 



protection from destruction is a matter not of sentiment 

 alone but of economic importance. 



RING-BILLED GULLS probably breed more abund 

 antly than any other species in the interior of North America 

 from North Dakota to Manitoba. They also are found 

 and nest, but in diminishing numbers to the seacoasts, both 

 eastern and western. Their habits vary according to their 

 environments. In Labrador, they nest on rocky ledges and 

 feed largely upon fish and refuse, while in North Dakota 

 they nest on the ground on small islands in lakes and feed 

 quite extensively upon grasshoppers. Like other gulls, 

 they also rob terns, cormorants or smaller birds of their eggs. 



Great numbers of them pass the winter along the coast 

 south of Massachusetts and about rivers and lakes in the 

 interior. They are quite similar to, and often confused with. 

 Herring Gulls; it requires a very sharp eye to distinguish the 

 difference in size unless the two species are seen together. 



LAUGHING GULLS are unique in that they are the 



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