KITTIWAKE. 231 



it from the Black-head in winter dress. The bill is greenish 

 yellow, but the legs are so dark that they look black. In the 

 hand it can at once be told by the practical absence of the 

 hind toe, this being represented by a mere vestige. The 

 inner primaries are white tipped, and show on the closed wing. 

 Immature birds, still known as " Tarrocks," have a distinct 

 dark half-collar, a band of mottled brown across the wings, and 

 banded tails. The flight is easy and graceful ; its gentle 

 buoyancy hardly suggests battles with winter gales, yet, unlike 

 other gulls, it selects the open sea for its winter home ; its 

 power of sustained flight is proved by its habit of following 

 steamers, for it has been known to accompany liners across the 

 Atlantic. It swings gracefully astern with wide down-wind 

 swoops, even lighter in flight than the Black-head. 



Surface-swimming fish and the larger crustaceans or other 

 planktonic animals are its chief food, and for these it dives 

 with more skill than other gulls. I have never seen it plunge 

 into the water like a tern, but it beats about near the surface until 

 it sights prey, then alights and dives, remaining below for a short 

 time, swimming under water. Even a rough sea it rides lightly, 

 mounting the steeply advancing waves, head to wind, and either 

 plunging through the crest or fluttering over to avoid a crash- 

 ing curl. A winter gale of long duration tries it, driving down 

 its food ; immature birds especially are weakened and driven 

 ashore, only a few saving themselves by flying inland before the 

 storm. After a gale the shore is often littered with corpses. 



The Kittiwake, is as a rule a silent bird, only uttering a 

 sharp kit^ kit, when wrangling for food, but is lively enough at 

 the nesting colony. The colonies, often very large, are in caves 

 or on steep cliffs, the nests being stuck on most insecure-looking 

 ledges, often many close together. In March the pelagic birds 

 begin to gather at the nesting place, but nest building is not 

 hurried ; eggs are often laid in May, but incubation seldom 

 begins until June. The nest, a small collection of seaweed and 



