100 NATURAL HISTORY OF ARCTIC AMERICA. 



they were witli us coiishiiitly, il"\\c were iioar land or far out at sea, in 

 stonu or calm, l"o<^ or snow ; no day — scarcely an hour — but some of those 

 interesting' biids ^vere our companions; often a few individuals only, at 

 other times flocks of many huudreds or eveu perhaps thousands on the 

 islands of the north Labrador coast. In Cumberland they are by far the 

 most common gull, and in fact the most abundant species in fall, but so 

 far as I could learn do not breed there. From September till the ice 

 covered the water they were extraordinarily abundant, congregating in 

 immense flocks. AVhen the tide luns strong tlicy lollow tiie stream for 

 many miles in regular order, about half their number constantly dipping 

 into the water, while the rest fly on ahead a few feet ; while thus feeding 

 they remind one of a flock of passenger-pigeons feeding in a grain-held. 

 The food obtained at such a time is mostly small crustaceans. 



When a good feeding-place is fonnd, the whole flock settles down, and 

 so close together that almost any number can be shot. The jaegers are 

 always on the alert for such flocks, and when they get near the gulls, 

 they all foolishly take wing, when the jaeger singles out a likely looking 

 subject, Avhich is soon made to disgorge. The llotk soon settles again, 

 and the same manoeuvre is rejieated. 



1 did not see a single kittiwake in the upper Cumberland waters 

 during spring or summer, where there were thousands the previous 

 autuniii. A very few immature birds were noticed <tn an iceberg, July 

 18, near Cape Mercy; but these were all I saw till nearing the Greenland 

 coast, where they are more common still. The flesh is highly esteemed 

 by the Danes resident on the Greenland coast; in fact, they form no in- 

 considerable portion of their meat supply during the latter i)art of July 

 and August and September. We found the flesh of the young (|uito ac- 

 ceptable. 



A few young birds were observed along tiie east coast of liie Penny 

 Peninsula as far as Exeter Sound, and in the ])ack ice an occasional 

 specimen was seen: but when nearing the coast of Disko their innnbers 

 incn-a; ed to thousands. They followed the schooner constantly from 

 this i)oint till we got to the southern shores of Xewlonndland, where few 

 were seen. 



Among the si)ecimens collected b_\ me were some tliat had scarcely 



any hallux, while in others it was as well develoj>ed as in any gull, and 



having a i)erfect nail. There is also eveiy gradation between the two. 



[ saw a gull a little larger than fridactyla, in Godhavn Ilarbor, one 



da\ : it had a l>larlv head, 'fhe same afternoon Govornor Fencker saw 



