2068 Birds. 



black throat characteristic of the summer plumage being nearly complete, was shot oft' 

 the fishing village of Cullercoats on the 5th instant. — T. J. Bold; Newcastle-on- 

 Tyne, February 19, 1848. 



Enquiry respecting the Masked Gull (Larus capistratus), and Remarks in reference 

 to the Glaucous Gull (Larus glaucus) and Greater Petrel (Puffinus cinereus). — Mr. . 

 Bury has stated (Zool. 1963) that he found the masked gull (Larus capistratus) was 

 abundant at Malaga. I shall be greatly obliged to Mr. Bury if he will give us some 

 further particulars of this interesting fact, and say if he found them breeding in num- 

 bers together, or if mixed with the common black-headed gull, as it is at present quite 

 undetermined if we are to consider the masked guli as a distinct species, or only an 

 accidental variety of the common black-headed gull. Several of our authorities in 

 these matters are disposed to give up the masked gull entirely as a distinct species, 

 but I am quite undecided myself upon the point, and any information tending to set- 

 tle the question would be very desirable. Mr. Burlingham enquires (Zool. 2027), 

 what is the distinction between the young of the glaucous gull and the Larus fuscus ? 

 First, I should observe that the glaucous gull is analogous in size to the great black- 

 backed gull (Larus marinus), and has no relation to the Larus fuscus, which is the 

 lesser black-backed gull. The young glaucous gull is easily known by any one who 

 has once seen it, by the pale fallow colour of its plumage, and is on the Yorkshire 

 coast called the cream-coloured gull. The young Iceland gull, which is occasionally 

 killed here, is of the same pale colour, but is easily distinguished by its smaller size ; 

 but both these gulls are at once distinguished from all others by having the quill- 

 feathers either pure white or cream-coloured, whereas all the other commoner gulls, 

 however they may differ in size, age or species, have their quill-feathers black. In 

 the same page, Mr. Milner has recorded another specimen of the greater petrel being 

 killed on the Yorkshire coast, but has called it the Puffinus Anglorum, which is the 

 common Manx shearwater, and which in some respects might be called the greater 

 petrel, as we have the obscurus, which is still smaller ; but I have no doubt, though I 

 have not seen it, Mr. Milner's bird is the true greater petrel (Puffinus cinereus) of Mr. 

 Gould, — a bird of which only a few specimens have been recorded as British. I state 

 this from the circumstance of the person from whom Mr. Milner's specimen was ori- 

 ginally procured having lately examined my specimens, and pronounced them to be 

 the same as the one referred to ; my specimens being the ones first recorded as British, 

 and those from which Mr. Gould made his drawings. — Arthur Strickland ; Burlington 

 Quay, Yorkshire, March 6, 1848. 



[The introduction of the specific name of fuscus instead of marinus is an error of 

 my own, and not of my correspondent's; this is also pointed out by Mr. Fisher: I 

 cannot account for its occurrence, except that I trusted to memory instead of referring 

 to a list. With respect to the second error, if it be such, a little explanation is neces- 

 sary. In Doubleday's list the names of the shearwaters stand thus : 



SHEARWATER. 



Puffinus Anglorum, Ray. 



GREY SHEARWATER. 



Puffinus cinereus, Steph. 



DUSKY SHEARWATER. 



Puffinus obscurus, Steph. 



