560 P U R P L E SANDPIPER.
of throat greyish-white, fore neck grey ; breast, sides, and abdomen
white.
Length to end of tail 9<|, to end of wings 9ft, to end of claws 1 0 ;
extent of wings 1 4 | ; wing from flexure 5, tail %\ ; bill along the back
lft, along the edge of lower mandible lft; tarsus \%; middle toe its
claw ft. Weight 3\ oz.
Adult in Winter. Plate CCLXXXIV. Fig. 2.
The principal differences in the winter plumage are, that the lower
parts are pale grey, while the upper have the purple tints much fainter,
the white edgings substituted by dull grey.
( 561 )
THE FORKED-TAILED GULL.
LARUS SABINI, SABINE.
PLATE CCLXXXV. MALE.
ON my return from Labrador, I had the pleasure of seeing this inte
resting little Gull flying over the harbour of Halifax in Nova Scotia. It was
in company with our Common American Gull. Although I have not observed
it on our eastern shores or farther south on the coast, it is not improbable
that it rambles there in winter along with other species which, like
itself, breed far north. Its flight in some measure resembles that of the
Common Tern, although it is more decided, and, consequently, more like
that of the smaller species of its own genus. In the course of a voyage from
Pictou in Nova Scotia to Hull in England, lately performed by my friend
Mr THOMAS MACCULLOCH, he saw great numbers of this species whei.
more than a hundred miles off Newfoundland. They flew around the ship
in company with an almost equal number of Ross's Gull.
Dr RICHARDSON gives the following account of the Forked-tailed Gull,
in the Fauna Boreali-Americana. " This interesting species of Gull was
discovered by Captain EDWARD SABINE. It was first seen on the 25th
of July at its breeding station on some low rocky islands lying off the
west coast of Greenland, associated in considerable numbers with the
Arctic Tern, the nests of both birds being intermingled. It is analogous
to the Tern not only in its forked tail, and in its choice of a breeding
place, but also in the boldness which it displays in the protection of its
young. The parent birds flew with impetuosity towards persons approaching
their nests, and when one was killed, its mate, though frequently fired
at, continued on the wing close to the spot. They were observed to get
their food on the sea-beach, standing near the water's edge, and picking
up the marine insects which were cast on shore. A solitary individual
was seen in Prince Regent's Inlet, on Sir EDWARD PARRY'S first voyage,
and many specimens were procured in the course of J,he second voyage on
Melville Peninsula. Captain SABINE also killed a pair at Spitzbergen,
so that it is a pretty general summer visitor to the Arctic Seas, and is entitled
to be enumerated amongst the European as well as the American
birds. It arrives in the high northern latitudes in J une, and retires to
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