NATAXORES. LARIDJE.
T H E MASKED GULL.
Larus m capistratus, Masked Gull) ' ' B&em. Brit.*’ An. p'.,5f42. - .
, , ~ ,, Brown-headed Gwtl, J.£nyns; Vert. p. 272«
Chroicocephalus, ,, , , ___ Rarfe Britriiirds, p. (J3.
Ld<bus-~ - ' * ,, Mouette d masque brun, Ti m m . Man. d’Ornith.vol. ii. p. 783.
T his species, first .distinguished and separated from Larus
ridibundus by M. Temminck, appears to ifbe very rare, since
even now, when so much attention is devoted: to ornithology,’
but very few specimens are knawn.s The first notice of it as
a British Bird, that I am-acquainted with in print, occurs in
the sale catalogue of Mr. Bollock’s collection, published in
April, 1819. On the fifth day, .a day devoted to the sale
of British Water-Birds, the sixty-third lot, page ;.3$,, |§<;
“ Brown-headed Gull, L. ‘ erythropus, male and female,
young and eggs ; taken at Westra, in the Orkneys^' and
was bought by Dr. Leach. From these examples, M. Temminck,
who was in London at that time, to attend, the sale of
so important a collection, probably became aware that this
species was found .Jtl Orkney, and included that locality
among others for this species, in the second edition of his
Manual, published in 18ll0. In 1831 Mr. William Lord
presented to. dhe Zoological Society about thirty skins of
birdsi collected : during;the previous summer in Shetland;
among them <was one1/,specimen of the Masked Gull, or
Brown-headed* Gull, as" it was also called, the Larus capis-
tratus. of Temminck; of whi6h I published a description with
m ejsurgipejits in the <S6ciety?s Proceedings for that year,
page:1514 In , Maich;; 1833; Wm. Thompson, Esq. "exhibited*
at~ one .of -the -evening meetings' of the Zoological
Society a specimen - of the Larus capistratus of Temminck
that, was shot- in th@|^n®i^bourhood of Belfast. In 1833,
•ini a no|d'c,e of birds" found near Carlisle, published by T.
Ci Heysham, Esq.;..is the following record: “ The Lesser
Brown-headed Gull, Larus capistratus. An immature female
,of thrs|4a^t .Gull was accidentally procured near Sands-
field .on dKe‘- (IthU-of June'. It was found associating with
several of the^Black-headed-v species; - Larus ridibundus, but
remained. after jap] .its congfeners had taken wing, was shot
111 and fortunately killed.c From an inspection of this bird,
we-are satisfied that this; species may 'be very easily overlooked,
and that many ornithologists wwdd consider it merely
a small « specimen of the Black-headed Gulls' We have
deemed it advisable, therefore, tougive; its weight and dimensions.
Weight eight ounces and a quarter; length
fourteen inches.; and a half; extent of the wings thirty-six
inches; |bill to the’ front one inch and one tenth ; bill to the
gapeyor rictus|. one-inch and eight-tenths ; tarsi one inch and
six-tenths; middle»© and claw one inch and five-tenths.”
T. C. Eyton,-. Esq. in his catalogue of the birds of Shropshire
and North Wales, mentions that one specimeh had been
killed near Bangor, and was in his own collection.