122 BULLETIN 113, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



Thayer's herring gull probably winters chiefly on the Pacific coast, for I have 

 examined a number of specimens from Barkley Sound, Departure Bay, and 

 Comox, Vancouver Island, British Columbia. I also have an adult female in 

 my own collection taken on the north shore of the St. Lawrence at Tadousac, 

 Quebec, July 26; but this specimen is doubtless a wanderer from the north, 

 for dissection showed it to be a bird past the breeding stage. 



DISTRIBUTION. 



Breeding range. — Breeding range imperfectly known. Presum- 

 ably breeding herring gulls from the Artie coast of North America 

 are this form, but it is not possible to verify all records ; neither do 

 we know the area where intergradation takes place. Breeding speci- 

 mens have been examined by Dwight from Buchanan Bay, Ellesmere 

 Land, Browne Island (south of Cornwallis Island), Cape Fullerton, 

 Kater Point, Coronation Gulf, Bernard Harbor, Dolphin and Union 

 Strait, and Cape Kellett, Banks Island. Eggs have been taken at 

 Ellesmere Land (type locality) and Victoria Island. 



Winter range. — Probably largely on Pacific coast. Specimens ex- 

 amined by Dwight from Barkley Sound, Departure Bay, and Comox, 

 Vancouver Island, British Columbia. 



Migration. — Practically nothing is known regarding the migra- 

 tions of this gull. It apparently passes north along the Pacific coast 

 at least to southeastern Alaska (Ketchikan, specimen taken) ; and, 

 lacking negative evidence, we may infer the return is made by the 

 same route. 



Casual records. — One was taken at Tadousac, Quebec, July 26. 



Egg dates. — Ellesmere Land: Two records, June 15 and July 1. 

 Victoria Island : One record, June 27. 



LARUS VEGAE Palmen. 

 VEGA GULL. 



HABITS. 



This (so-called) species seems to be nothing more nor less than a 

 dark-backed herring gull, and I doubt very much if it will prove to 

 be more than subspecifically distinct from Larus argentatus, if even 

 that. Mr. William H. Kobbe (1902) has presented a very thorough 

 and convincing argument to prove that the two forms intergrade, 

 and suggests that but one species be recognized. The characters on 

 which Larus vegae is supposed to stand have been apparently con- 

 fused with those of Larus cachinnans, or are variable and unsatisfac- 

 tory. For a full discussion of the merits of the case I would refer 

 the readers to Mr. Kobbe's excellent paper. 



The distribution of the Vega gull has not been very thoroughly 

 worked out, for our knowledge of the bird life of the region it in- 



