654 LARID^. 



middle of August the birds which have bred in the far north 

 have loft the cliffs, and have begun to migrate southwards in 

 large flocks ; but, from the Shetlands downwards, compara- 

 tively small numbers are to be found in ordinary winters 

 along the shores which are influenced by the Gulf Stream. 



In olden times this Gull was considered good food, and 

 Sir Robert Sibbald says that " The Kittiweak is as good 

 meat as a partridge," an opinion endorsed in later times by 

 those inhabitants of Scotland who relish Gannets. There 

 is an old story told by Pennant of a gentleman who, as a 

 whet for his appetite before dinner, ate six, and did not find 

 himself a bit more hungry than when he began. Sir James 

 C. Ross says, " We killed enough to supply our party with 

 several excellent meals, and found them delicious food, per- 

 fectly free from any unpleasant flavour." 



The young bird, while bearing on its plumage the dark- 

 coloured markings, has been called the Tarrock; the adult 

 bird is the Kittiwake, and the name has reference to the cry 

 of this Gull, which, when disturbed at its breeding-station, 

 utters three notes in quick succession, which closely resemble 

 in sound the word in question. In Devonshire this species 

 is known as the * Hacklet ' or ' Hacket ' Gull ; in other 

 parts it is known as the ' Annet ' ; and in Shetland as the 

 * Waeg.' Mr. Cordeaux says that the Flamborough fisher- 

 men call the young Kittiwakes ' Mackerel-birds,' because 

 they usually appear at sea with their parents in August 

 when the fish are approaching the coast. 



The adult bird in summer has the bill greenish-yellow, 

 inside of the mouth orange ; the irides dusky-brown ; the 

 head and the neck, all round, pure white ; back and wings 

 pale slate-grey, the secondaries and tertials tipped or edged 

 with white ; the outer margin and tip of the first primary 

 quill-feather black, the next three tipped with black, the 

 fifth with a black bar near the end, but the extremity white ; 

 the rest grey ; tail-coverts and tail-feathers, chin, throat, 

 breast, and all the under surface of the body and tail pure 

 white ; legs short, and with the toes and interdigital mem- 

 branes dusky in colour, the hind toe generally only a small 



