The Ring-billed Gull 



been noted in a perfunctory way, but of its life history, its peculiarities, 

 its individual flavor, there are none to speak. One suspects that the surest 

 way to condemn a bird to obscurity is to dub it common. That epithet 

 is a notice that its bearer is no longer worthy of consideration ; and 

 the amateur avoids it as he would an abandoned mine. 



There are, however, two fairly good reasons for this oversight in the 

 case of the Ring-billed Gull in California. In the first place its appearance 

 lacks distinctive character. The bird is obscure, nondescript, average, 

 "mejum," just gull. Even the supposedly distinctive character of the 

 black band upon the beak is not easily made out at a distance. Many 

 gulls, especially immature ones, have black upon the bill. In the second 

 place — and this is the secret, I think — the Ring-bill is the wariest of 

 our wintering gulls. His habitual exposure at the water's edge has from 

 time immemorial made him conscious of hostile notice. Hence it is that 

 with the distant approach of a pilgrim on the strand, your Ring-bill gets 

 uneasy and begins to edge off down the line, or else withdraws outright 

 from the stupid company of Californias and Westerns. Thus the casual 

 observer gets an impression of rarity which is belied by the facts. 



Taken on Lower Klamath Lake Photo by William L. Finley and Herman T. Bohlman 



A MIXED COLONY— RING-BILLED AND CALIFORNIA GULLS 



1417 



