The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1885-03-26
The Migration of Sea Gulls.
AN INTERESTING AND INSTRUCTIVE LETTER
FROM MIR. W. W. CASTLE.

FROM MIR. W. W. CASTLE.
10 THE EDITOR OF THE JOURNAL: In your
issue of ,he 18th of March you ask "who can
explain what ii was that took the large gray
sea gulls $50 far from their natural haunts?"
By referring to a map of British North Amer-
and of that portion of the United States
north of Dakota and Minnesota YOU will dis
cover, by noticing the trend of the rivers, that
in that section of the country lying between
the Rocky Mountains on the west, Hudson Bay
on the east, the Arctic Sea on the north and
the head waters of the Mississippi and Missouri
vallies there are three great water sheds: one
having in its course chain of large lakes
Athabasca, Great Slave and Great Bear lakes
each of them a- large as Lake Huron, having for
its outlet the Mackenzie River, another having
the nearly as large lakes Winnepeg and Mani
toba empting into Hudsons Bay through the
Nelson river, while the third is the great Mis-
sissippi watershed. This whole section is also
filled with innumerable small lakes and rivers,
and is essentially wet country, the greater
portion at or near the headwaters of the Mis-
sissippi being vast marsh or swamp. 1t will
be the resort of millions of water fowl of a-
most every variety known AS American Water
fowl, as IA breeding spot. Such it is. and
amongst the numerous varieties, with the eX-
ceptiOn of some of the family that are essential
ly Atlantic or Pacific sea birds and which are
ly Lardae (Guils) are very numerous. OF this
family, the members of the ub-family Larinae
are not peculiar to any region, but are found
more or less abundantly in all parts of the
world. And the following, of the twenty four
varieties known in America, are commonly
seen throughout the great central water shed
and are numerous along the chain of lakes from
Superior to the gulf of st. Lawrence: Larus
Argentatus, Herring or Silvery Gull; Taurus
Delawarensis, Rng-billed Gull Chroicocepha-
us Franklinii, Franklin's Gull =; Chrococephalus
Philadelphia, Bonaparte's Gull. 1t would seem
from the article that those seen being "large
gray gulls' must have been of one of these va
rieties. The general description of cooraton
being follows:
Larus 1,pentataS: 4duI- Head, neck, un-
derparts, rump and tail pure white. Back
and wings light pearl blue First 6 primaries
marked toward the end with black. Young
Notified throughout with light grayish brown
and dull white.
Length % to a inches, wing Is inches, tail
I. toS.
Laa,ats DeiucorensS. Aduh and youag are
very similar in general coloration to preced-
ing.
Length 20 inches, wing 10. tail 6.
Chyoicocephalss Fiunkii.i.. Adu{t-Head and
upper part of neck, black; lower part of neck,
underparts, rump and tail, white; back and
wings, dull blush gray.
Length 10 inches, wing II, tail A..
Ch,oicocelhaius PAHadelphta. Adult-Head
and upper part of neck, grayish black; lower
neck. under parts, rump and tail, white; back
and wings, clear blush gray. Young-Head and
neck, whitish mixed with dark gray, wings
coverts brown.
Length IA! inches, wing 10!, tail A..
The birds seen by Mr.. Perry were undoubt-
edly the young of Larus Argentatus or Larus
Delawarensis and were probably on their south
ward migration, although it is not unlikely that
where seen. Even were this not so it would
not be surprising to any one who has watched
our sea coast birds of the same family, with
majestic sweep of pinions breasting the tercest
gales at speed greater than that of the fastest
express trains, to be told of their being found
hundreds of miles from their usual haunts, so
that deviation of many miles from the direct
and main line of migration, if it be assumed
that that is along the Mississippi valley proper,
is not to be wondered at, especially when con-
sdering that it is over IA country plentifully be-
sprinkled with lakes, rivers, and low or
marshy grounds abounding with food.
In connection with this, if have not taken
too much of your space already, allow me to
say to your readers, that if they, as is often
done, find birds that are new and strange to
them and wish to have them identified, if they
will forward the bird to me as soon after being
killed as possible, l will be happy to make an
identification for them.
WILLIAM w. CASTLE.
Boston, March II, 1885.