450 LARIDA 
south as the Gulf of St. Lawrence on the Atlantic side, and 
the Kurile Islands on the Pacific side. In the Arctic regions 
it is practically circumpolar in the breeding-season, having 
reached 81° 40’ in Smith Sound. On migration in winter it 
visits the Mediterranean, extending eastward to the Black 
and Caspian Seas, and southward to North Africa and the 
adjoining Islands, to about lat. 30° N. Along both sides 
of the North American sea-board it is found as far as lat. 
30° N. 
DESCRIPTIYE CHARACTERS. 
PLUMAGE. Adult male nuptial. — Head, neck, breast, 
abdomen, rump, and tail, white; back and wings, deep 
‘french’ grey or light slate-colour; scapulars, margined 
with greyish-white ; secondaries, broadly edged with white ; 
primaries, pale ‘french’ grey; terminal portions of the 
first three, black ; fourth, fifth, and sixth, barred with black 
and tipped with white ; remaining primaries, greyish ; outer 
web of first primary, black. 
Adult female nuptial.—Similar to the male plumage. 
Adult winter,! male and female. — Differs from the 
nuptial plumage in that the back of the head and neck are 
patched with greyish-blue, similar in shade to that on the 
wings; ear-coverts, light bluish-black. 
Immature, male and femaile.,—Back of neck, banded 
' As a practical hint to collectors, I would say that by keeping a 
sharp look-out after storms, many valuable specimens may be picked up. 
Kittiwakes, in winter-plumage, are hard to obtain, as they seldom frequent 
our coasts at that time of year. One of the best specimens that I have 
mounted I picked up on the Dublin coast. I have examined a great 
number of these birds, and have noted that some, washed ashore in late 
spring, and apparently quite fresh, still retained their winter-plumage. On 
one occasion I found a dead Kittiwake in winter-dress on the Dublin coast, 
as late as May 18th, 1901, and on June 9th, whilst sailing in a trawler 
from Dublin to Lambay Island, a beautiful adult in perfect winter- 
plumage accompanied the vessel. As we fed the birds a large gathering 
came round us, but all save the one just mentioned had the snowy-white 
heads of nuptial plumage. I have made post mortems on Kittiwakes 
‘found dead, and in a number of cases no signs of violence or even bruises 
were evident. This suggests that the birds are not always beaten to 
death against rocks. But I have usually found the stomach and entire 
alimentary tract completely empty, starvation apparently being an active 
factor in the cause of death. 
2 The Kittiwake in immature plumage was formerly known as the 
=~ ay 5 . - re . . 
‘Tarrock’ Gull. It was first figured as an immature Kittiwake in an 
early edition of ‘ Bewick’s British Birds.’ 
