LIFE HISTOEIES OF NORTH AMERICAN GULLS AND TERNS. 43 



The first arrivals (five birds) appeared on the moruiiig of October 12, 1913. 

 Every day following their arrival showed increasing numbers until in a 

 fortnight there v/ere always " hundreds," and at tim^s " thousands " would 

 make but a moderate estimate of their flocks. My records for November 16 

 says, " winter birds in millions " — perhaps an exaggeration, yet so it seemed. 

 Scarcely a daylight hour after thtir arrival but was filled with their chatter- 

 ing squeal ; scarcely a moment but saw them wheeling about the steamers, 

 appearing just before sun up and standing by to give any needed assistance as 

 long as the sun held above the western rim of the ocean. 



The signal for hauling the net brought gi-eat activity among the flocks banked 

 up on either side of the steamer's path in 2^-mile-long lines of white birds 

 roosting upon the water. There were literally thousands of gulls that rose and 

 drifted along over the swells, just keeping pace with the steamer's slow progress. 

 Other gulls there were, both brown plumaged and full plumaged — ring-bill, 

 herring gull, black-backed, and a few of the large white or pearly giills, of 

 species undetermined where they wheeled in a safe ofBng. But all these were 

 at a disadvantage, both numerically and otherwise, with the kittiwakes, who stole 

 from them and beat them to every piece of liver and waste thrown overside. 

 If the prize sinks the big gull has lost it ; not so the little " winter bird," wlio 

 dives swiftly and gracefully from the wing and brings it up. This is the only 

 gull which the writer has ever seen to dive. Naturally their success makes them 

 unpopular with the losers, who pursue and harry the kittiwake, but to little 

 effect, since the small gull is too active to suffer much in these attempts at 

 reprisal. 



In fair weather during midday the gulls of all species soar far aloft to wheel 

 in wide circles and drift in the sunshine of the upper air. The " winter bird " 

 indulges in this also, but to a somewhat lesser extent than do the gulls of other 

 species. The greater part of the kittiwake flocks prefer to bank up along the 

 steamer's course, so as to be at hand at the haul, utilizing the interval to preen 

 their feathers and bathe and dip like sparows in a puddle. In fact, it was a 

 considerable time before I could be sure that the kittiwake joined in these lofty 

 aerial maneuvers; yet they surely did, sweeping on motionless wings in great 

 spirals at a height where the eye could hardly follow them or distinguish them, 

 but never failing to drop witli all swiftness when warned by the whistle that the 

 feast was about to be spread for them. What an enormous amount of food 

 must be needed to support all this great sea-bird population — the hags and 

 petrels in the summer months, the gulls in the colder weather, the full round of 

 the year. 



DISTRIBUTION. 



Breeding range. — Northern parts of the Northern Hemisphere; in 

 North America east to Greenhmd and the Labrador coast. South to 

 the Gulf of St. Lawrence (Newfoundland, Bird Rock, Bonaventure 

 Island, and Anticosti) and probably parts of Hudson Bay. The 

 western limit of its range, where the subspecies polUcaris takes its 

 place, is unknown, but it has been stated to occur west to Franklin 

 Bay. North to Prince Albert Land (near Princess Royal Islands) ; 

 the south shore of North Somerset; north of Wellington Channel 

 (latitude 77*^), and northern Greenland (Thank God Harbor on the 

 northwestern coast, and between latitude 80° and 81° on the north- 

 eastern coast). In the Old World breeds from Iceland, Great Brit- 



