446 LARIDA 
Note.—The tips of the longest primaries extend fully 
2°5 in. beyond the end of the tail, while those of L. 
glaucus only reach to the end of the tail-feathers, or, at 
the most, about half an inch beyond the tail. 
KITTIWAKE GULL. Lissa tridactyla (Linneus). 
Coloured Figures,—Gould, ‘ Birds of Great Britain,’ vol. v, pl. 
61; Dresser, ‘ Birds of Europe,’ vol. viii, pls. 607, 608; 
Lilford, ‘ Coloured Figures,’ vol. vi, pl. 29; Booth, ‘ Rough 
Notes,’ vol. iii, pl. 39. 
This attractive Gull is familiar to those who have 
opportunities of visiting the precipitous cliffs of mainlands 
and marine islands “during the spring and summer 
months. At such seasons the Kittiwake is very abundant 
in most districts, but in winter the headlands are quite 
deserted for the open sea, so that the bird then appears 
much scarcer round our coasts. It is not nearly so generally 
distributed as many of the other Gulls; in fact, it is 
essentially pelagic. Thus if one carefully observes, with a 
binocular, the multitudes of Gulls which are dotted over 
the ooze-flats or the ploughed pasturage, and the ‘offal- 
eating species’ flitting along our city-quays, rarely, if ever, 
is a Kittiwake seen among their numbers. It is rather the 
deep blue waters of the open sea that this Gull delights in. 
None the less, it is a friendly visitor to our fishing -ports 
and harbours, where now and again it may be seen flying 
to and fro, or perched on a pier, a floating buoy, or on the 
side of an empty boat. 
At times it is a great wanderer, indeed, I have seen it, 
during its peregrinations, escorting steamers across the 
North Atlantic Ocean, for three consecutive days, covering 
a distance of approximately 1,000 miles. Bits of bread 
thrown overboard will rapidly attract numbers together, 
and so greedy are the birds to secure the booty that those 
nearest may be seen swooping to the water the instant 
one’s arm is raised even in pretence of throwing food. I 
have seen this confiding bird follow trawlers and small 
pleasure-boats, sometimes within an oar’s length. 
Flight.—The gentle but well-sustained flight resembles 
