126 BLACK-HEADED, OB LAUGHING GULL.
these manoeuvres rendered me almost frantic with delight.i"-:At times-,
several gulls would attempt to alight on fhelhoad of the same Pelican,
but finding this impossible, they; would at one® sustain thomsulve»
around it, and snatch every morsel that escaped from the pouch of the1
great bird. So very dexterous were, some of the Gulls at this sport,
that I.have seen them actually catch a little fish as it leaped:-from
the vet partially open hill of the.Pelican. Ami no«, Reader, I will
conclude this long article with.vsomo fragments fr<im my journals.
Tortugas, May 1832,—Whilst here, I often sipfe the Black-headed
Gull of Wilson, sucking the eggs of Sterna fulighuM, andStertgi sfolida.
Our sailors assured me that these gulls: also eat the young of these two
species ofrTerns when nmvly hatched.
Great Egg Harbour, May 182!).-.- --J .ike. all other gulls, the harm
Atrichia disgorge its food when attacked by a Lestrisy of 'when wounded,
or suddenly, surprised; but on^gU OccasitiiigSof respite this gull is apt.
to-return .to: it. and. vulture-like to swallow it anew..:: It differs however
from the. larger spocios.;of gulls, by never, as far as T have observed,
picking up bivalve shells, for the purpose of letting them fall
to break them, and. afterwards food ojj* their contents. On the.
ground they walk with considerable alertness, and not without a certain
'degree of elegance, especially during the love'season. Whilst
floating or swimming on the water, tSeyjar© graceful in a high degree,
and when seen, as they oftentimes are, in.groups of many pairs, rising
with, or sinking amidst the billows, which ever and anon break on the
sandy shores of the coast, their alternate appearance brings to the
mind of the bystander ideas connected with objects altogether different
from the simple yet beautiful Laughing. Gull.!.'
April 1. 1.837. -.-.South-wost pass of the Mississippi. L. AtrioiUa
abundant here at this season, as well as.at p a y Orleans. Saw somes
floating on logs during a heavy bree/.e. Not noisy yet, tlmugh they
and L. ¡¡cmmthymlms. are in full spring dross (the old birds). '
Karataria Bay, April,'1837.—This species is abundant, following
the porpoises, whilst the;, latter are fishing, ¡and attending on them-, as
they do on the Brown Pelicans, which I saw here tormented by these
birds, as in, the Florida®. The« Gulls follow the Brown Pelicans
to their roosts,, and; along with them sit on grounded logs, at somli distance
from the shores, to avoid the attacks: of racoons and other carnivorous
animals.
BLACK-HEADED, OR LAUGHING GULL. 127
Galveston Bay, April 26. 1837—Black-headed Gulls are not unfrc,
quently seen,hovering over- the inner ponds.of these islands, as.if in
search of food. They .are now ¡ill paired, and very noisy.-
jj.ty observed to-day that at the single cry of a Blackheaded
Gull, all others within hearing- at-once came, towards the caller,,
and this, uever failed when' ftny of them had found floating,garbage: on;
which to feed; . These, as well as all other .gulls, pat the water with
their feet, f teir legs being partially extended, whilst assisting themselves
with the bill to pick up any floating food. At this time thewhole
group emit a mo§| plaintiS;« single note than usual. They comenot
unfrcquently within a few yards of our vessel at anchor, and. when ,
the food thrown to them is exhausted, they separate, and at once renew,
their repeated criesSl observed that the few immature birds among"
the old; ones, were quite silent. evp.n when-in the companyof the adults.
When the young are neiu-ly able to fly, they aire by no moans bad eating..
Lards Athiciixa, Sisn.'%st,,HSit. vol. i. J). 22f>. -Lath. I.-id. Omitli. vM. i:. p. 812.
I Jlomp-trtt, 'Synopsis of Hires of t!m United States, p. 3S9.
III. AC k - h k a UK i) (ii;i,r., I. vRf.'s HIIHBL-SBUS, Wife. Amor. Oruith. vol. ix. p. 89.
Eiack-heabisd Gi;li., XuttoU, Manual, vol, ii. p. 291.
Adult Male in spring. Plate GCCXIV, Fig, 1.
Bill rather shorter than the head, nearly straight, moderately
stout, compressed. Upper mandible with its dorsal outline straight , to
the middle, then curved and decimate, the ridge convex, the. sides.rapidly
sloping,B.® edges sharp and direct, the tip rather obtuse but sharpedged.
Nasal groove rather long and narrow; nostrils in its fore part,
longitudinal, submedial, large, linear-oblong, broader anteriorly, pervious.
LcwiSi mandible with the angles long and pointed, the outline
of its crura decurved anteriorly, that of the ridge slightly concave and,
ascending,, the sides erect, and nearly flat.
Head of moderate size. Neck of ordinary length. Body compact.
Feet rather long, stoutish; tibiabare below for three-fourths of an inch,
covered behind with narrow scutella; tarsus compressed, anteriorly
covered with numerous curved scutella, laterally with small oblong
scales, posteriorly with small scutella. Toes slender, of moderate
length, covered above with numerous scutella first extremely small,