The Ivory Gull (Pagophila alba) at Portland, Maine. On January 4, 
1918, Mr. Walter H. Rich of this city informed me that he had on this 
day observed an Ivory Gull off Commercial wharf well up .Portland Har¬ 
bor; the following day, January 5, with Mr. Rich I visited the water 
front, and we soon had the bird under observation, watching it for an 
hour. Once it came within twenty yards of the end of the wharf, and 
lighted on a large ice cake, affording a perfect opportunity for full 
identification. 
The deeply incised webs of the black feet were distinctly visible and were 
very noticeable. It was an immature bird and at this close range the brown¬ 
ish tips of the feathers of the wings and an imperfect tail band were distinct, 
though they were not visible when the bird was in the distance where we 
mostly saw it. The loral region was so thickly spotted that in the distance 
the gull appeared to be wearing a dark mask, combined with an otherwise 
snowy white plumage. The snowy whiteness of its plumage, was always 
noticeably different from any other gull in the harbor, which contained at 
the time an abundance of Larus argentatus in all plumages, Larus kumleni 
and Larus leucopterus. Its habits and flight also differed distinctly: 
it was much more restless, now alighting on the ice, either to remain at 
rest for a few minutes, or to feed at the water’s edge, and then away to 
search the edge of the ice field or to feed near some of the docks. It seemed 
to pay little or no attention to the other gulls, or their feeding. On the 
ice it ran rapidly, suggesting the action of a large plover. Its restlessness 
and independent action suggested to me the action of Larus atricilla as it 
appears in the company of Larus argentatus. Its dashing flight seemed 
more like that of a Jaeger than that of a gull. The wing was used at full 
extent with very little flexure at humero-radial and carpal joints and was 
broad and wedge shaped in comparison with the narrower wing of Larus 
argentatus.. It was seen for the last time January 7 by Mr. Rich though 
daily watch has been kept to the present time, February 22, 1918. 
During the period that the bird was seen the mercury was hardly rising 
above 0° Fah. and the harbor and bay was a solid field of ice except as broken 
by the ever bushy tugs laboring to keep an open channel. 
The only other record of this Gull in Maine that I have found is of a 
specimen in the United States National Museum, taken in “ Penobscot 
Bay, Me., December, 1 1894 ” though three examples have been reported 
from Grand Menan, N. B., just over the state boundary, two by George 
A. Boardman, 2 and one by Allan L. Moses. 8 Mr. Moses records his speci¬ 
men as seen December 31, 1908, but dates are not given for the Boardman 
specimens.— Arthur H. Norton, Museum of Natural History, Portland, 
Me - JcuJt, ff/Z.P. 2-2 
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