CRUISE OF STEAMER CORWIN IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 105 
RISSA TRIDACTYLA KOTZBUEI (Bp.) Coues. 
(146.) PActFIc KITTIWAKE. 
About the shores of Bering Sea everywhere that rocky cliffs or bold islands rise from the 
water this elegant Gull may be found, usually occurring in the greatest abundance. During our 
visit to a rocky islet in Escholtz Bay, Kotzebue Sound, on September 7, 1881, the young were 
seen perching upon the ledges and jutting points of this precipitous island. Although the approach 
to the nesting places was difficult, yet the young stood gazing stupidly at us as we drew near until, 
though they were able to fly, several were knocked from their perches with stones before they 
would take wing, and one was caught in my hand without its showing the slightest alarm until 
seized. Elliott found them breeding in greatest abundance at the fur-seal islands, and we found 
them about the shores of Saint Lawrence Island the last of June, 1881. On Herald Isiand they 
were nesting in large numbers, and although seen in less abundance about the shores of Wrangel 
Island, yet they were common there. On May 1, 1880, during the drift of the Jeannette, they were 
seen by Mr. Newcomb, the naturalist of this vessel, and were quite common from that date on 
during the remainder of the summer. At Bennett Island they were found more numerous than 
elsewhere by the people from this vessel. It is a common bird over all parts of the Arctic, extend- 
ing along both the Alaskan and Siberian shores from Bering Strait. During our cruising in the 
summer of 1881 I had repeated occasions to notice the graceful motions and powers of flight 
possessed by this handsome Gull. Its buoyancy during the worst gales we met was fully equal to 
that possessed by the Rodger’s Fulmar, with which it frequently associated at these times. These 
birds were continually gliding back and forth in graceful curves, now passing directly into the face 
of the gale, then darting off to one side on a long circuit, always moving steadily, with only an 
occasional stroke of the wings for long periods if there was a strong wind. The closely-allied form, 
the well-known Kittiwake of the North Atlantic and adjoining portion of the Arctic Ocean, is 
found breeding upon Spitzbergen and Nova Zemlya, as well as upon the Preobraschrine Islands 
on the North Siberian shore. It is more common in the very high northern latitudes than the 
Glaucous Gull, according to Nordenskiéld, and occurs far out to sea, where it follows vessels for 
days at a time, circling around the tops of the masts, sometimes, according to the walrus hunters 
of the seas north of Europe, pecking at the end of the pendant before a storm. This latter habit 
was noticed by us in the Pacific Kittiwake as we approached Wrangel Island during our several 
attempts-to land there. One evening it was nearly calm and clear, but the appearance of the sky 
indicated that foul weather was preparing to descend upon us, and as we worked in through the 
ice, attempting to reach the shore, several young Kittiwakes came off towards us, and circling about 
approached close to the pendant flying from the mast-head with their bills almost touching the 
point of this streamer. They moved up and down, following the sinuous movement of the pendant 
in the most curious manner, apparently trying to satisfy themselves as to the cause and appearance 
of this strange phenomenon. The common Kittiwake of the North Atlantic is said to make an 
elaborate nest of moss, mud, and grass, which harbors innumerable insects, of which the naturalist 
on board the Vega obtained twelve species from a single nest. The Bering Sea bird constructs a 
nest of moss and sea-weed, or other material in alike manner, but the parasites from this source 
have not been examined. 
RISSA BREVIROSTRIS Brandt. 
(147.) RED-LEGGED KITTIWAKE. 
The present handsome species of gull is limited in the region covered by this paper to the 
Aleutian Islands and to the fur-seal group. It nests in great abundance about the latter islands, 
where, according to Elliott, it comes by tens of thousands to breed. This author testifies to its 
elegance of coloring and grace of movement; and its handsomely contrasted plumage and bright 
red feet certainly render it one of the most attractive of its kind in these northern waters. The 
last of May, 1877, while I was at Ounalaska, these birds were quite numerous for two or three days, 
when they all disappeared as suddenly as they had come, and passed north to their breeding 
H. Ex. 105——14 
