218 
LAUGHING GULL. 
eyes are black ; above and below each eye there is a spot of 
white ; the head and part of the neck are black, remainder of 
are also differently marked, and its tarsus is longer. His L. ridibundus and capistratus have 
brown heads, and the interior of the wings grey j the latter has also a much smaller bill than 
our L. Franklinii .'' — 
5. L. Bonapartii, Swain, and Richards. — Bonapartian Gull. — North. Zool. ii. p. 425. — 
“ With a black bill ; the mouth and feet, carmine red j wings, bordered with white 
anteriorly ; posteriorlj-^, together with the back, pearl grey ; six exterior quills, black 
at the end, slightly tipped with white ; the first quill entirely black exteriorly 5 tarsus, 
scarcely an inch and a half long. Head, greyish black in summer. 
“ This handsome small gull is common in all parts of the fur countries, Avhere it associ- 
ates with the terns, and is distinguished by its peculiar shrill and plaintive cry. The 
L. capistratus of the Prince of Musignano differs, according to his description, in the 
first quill being white exteriorly, pale ash interiorly, in the light brown colour of its 
head, and in its tail being slightly emarginated, while the tail of L. Bonapartii is even 
inclined to be rounded laterally, than notched in the middle.” 
6. L. roseus, Macgilliv. — A rare species confined to high latitudes, discovered during Sir 
Ed. Parry’s second voyage, when two specimens were obtained ; the one is now in the 
Edinburgh Museum, the other was presented to Mr Sabine, whose collection has 
been lately sold to the Andersonian Museum in Glasgow. 
7. L. tridactylus, Linn. — Kittiewake, Wilson’s list.— Inhabiting both continents. 
8 . L. canus, Linn. — Common gull, Wilson’s list.— Inhabiting both continents; and nu- 
merous during Avinter in the middle states of America. 
9. L. eburneus, Gmel. — Inhabits the Arctic circle ; migrating occasionally to the tem- 
perate regions. A few specimens have been killed in Britain. 
10. L.fuscus, Linn. — Very common during winter near Philadelphia and New York, 
11. L. argentatoides, Brehm. — This bird is separated from Larus argentatus by Bona- 
parte, Avho mentions having shot it on the southern coasts of England. At the same 
time that he separates it from the herring gull, he expresses a doubt of its being the 
L. argentatoides of Brehm. This I cannot at present decide, but have appended, 
without any abridgement, the observations and description of a bird referred to this, 
from the Northern Zoology; it is very closely allied at all events to the L. argentatus ; 
and it is of importance that the characters of a species said to be killed on our coasts 
should be properly investigated. 
Larus argentatoides. — Arctic silvery gull. 
“ Larus argentatus, Richards. Append. Parry's Second Voy., p. 358, No. 22. — Larus argen- 
tatoides, Bonap. Syn., No. 299.— NocT/a, Esquimaux.” 
“ The Prince of Musignano has distinguished this gull from Larus argentatus, Avith Avhich 
it had been confounded by most other writers. It is impossible, therefore, to separate its his- 
tory, or to cite the descriptions of other authors correctly. It Avas found breeding on Mel- 
ville Peninsula ; and the eggs that Avere brought home have an oil-green colour, marked AAuth 
spots and blotches of blackish-brown and subdued purplish grey. It preys much on fish, 
and is noted at Hudson’s Bay for robbing the nets set in the fresh Avater lakes. I have seen 
no specimens from Arctic America which I can unequivocally refer to tlie Larus argentatus, 
as characterised by the Prince of Musignano.” 
Description of a Male, in the Edin. Museum, killed on Melville Peninsula, 
June 29, 1822. 
“ Colour, mantle pearl grey. Six outer quills crossed by a brownish-black band, which takes 
in nearly the whole of the first one, but, becoming rapidly narrower on the others, termi- 
