Range. - Whole of the Northern Hemisphere, breeding from Maine and British Columbia northward and wintering south to the Gulf.

This Gull, which formerly was No. 51a, a subspecies of the European variety, is now regarded as identical with it, and is no longer a sub-species.

It is twenty-four inches in length, has a light gray mantle and black primaries which are tipped with white. The Herring

Gulls nest in colonies in favorable localities throughout their range, chiefly on the coasts and islands. A few pairs also nest on islands in some of the inland bodies of fresh water.

Except in places where they are continually molested, when they will build in trees, they place their nests on the ground either making no nest on the bare sand, or building a bulky nest of seaweed in the grass on higher parts of the island.

They lay three eggs of a grayish color marked with brown. In rare cases unspotted bluish white eggs are found. Size 2.8 x 1.7.

Buff.

Western Gull. Herring Gull.