THE GENUS LARUS. 
275 
described the summer plumage of L. argenteus. The 
Burgomaster of voyagers is probably more often the arcti- 
cus than the glacialis, and, in many cases, it may signify 
both. It is therefore a hopeless task to search for syno- 
nyms, and highly improper to apply the history of any 
Glaucous Gull of the older writers to the present species. 
Remar'ks.^^The first satisfactory account that we find of 
this interesting species, is that given in a Memoir on the 
Birds of Greenland, by Captain Edward Sabine, in which 
he enumerates the species observed by the Expedition un- 
der Captain Ross, in 1818. Linn. Trans, vol. xii, p. 527. 
He there describes it under the name of Larus glaucus^ 
Glaucous Gull, observing that it is unquestionably the 
Burgomaster Gull of the Dutch, This description is suffi- 
ciently accurate and circumstantial to remove all doubt with 
regard to the species. He observes, that from specimens 
in his brother's possession, he is enabled to render the his- 
tory of the plumage complete, and, at the same time, to 
add it to the British Fauna; from which we have to infer 
that one or more specimens in Mr Sabine's collection are 
from Shetland or Orkney. This part of the volume was 
published in 1818. 
The very celebrated Temminck, in the second edition of 
his Manuel dCOrmthologie, published in 1820, gives a full 
account of the species, under the name of Larus glaucus, 
describing it with his usual accuracy and precision, but 
only in its summer plumage. The length he says is 26 
inches, while he also remarks that it is the largest of all the 
gulls known, yet the length of the Z. marinus he states at 
from 26 to 27 inches. Of all the specimens which I have 
seen, two of which are adult, and four young, there is none 
so small as this. 
A full account of the bird in a mature and young state, 
s 2 
