THE BIRD BOOK 
55. Short-billed Gull. Larus brachy- 
rhynchus. 
Range. — Breeds from the interior of British 
Columbia northward to Alaska; south in winter to 
Lower California. 
The Short-billed or American Mew Gull is seven- 
teen inches in length, has a short, stout bill and 
is otherwise similar to the preceding species. 
Nests on islands in the lakes and along the river 
banks of Alaska. The nest is made of grass, 
weeds and moss and is placed on the ground. 
Pale greenish-brown 
Early in June the birds lay their set of three eggs, 
the ground color of which is greenish wown mark- 
ed with dark brown. Size 2.25 x 1.60. Data. — 
Mackenzie River, N. W. T., June .18, 1900. Three 
eggs. Nest made of seaweed and grass and placed 
on the ground on an island in the river. 
Short-billed Gull 
Heerman’s Gull 
[56.] Mew Gull. Larus canus. 
This is the European variety of the above spe- 
cies, breeding commonly both in the British Isles 
and northern Europe. This species is given a place in our avifauna because 
of its accidental appearance in Labrador. 
57. Herrman’s Gull. — Larus heermanni. 
Range.- — Pacific Coast of North America from British Columbia south to 
Panama, breeding chiefly south of the United States border. 
A very handsome species, often called the White-headed Gull, and wholly 
unlike any other; length seventeen inches. Adults, in summer, have the 
ntire head, neck and throat white, this shading quite abruptly into the slaty 
upper and upder parts; the primaries and tail are black, the latter and the 
secondaries being tipped with white. The legs and bill are vermilion. They 
are found off the coast of California, but are not believed to breed there. 
They are known to breed on some of the islands off the Mexican coast nesting- 
on the ground the same as the other species. The three eggs are greenish 
drab in color and are marked with different shades of brown and lilac. Size 
2.45 x 1.50. 
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