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CHAPTER XVAL 
MOUTHS WITH MEANINGS 
Se young kittiwake differs in appearance from 
the parent birds in a quite uncommon manner, 
for, being prettily and saliently marked, it looks like 
a mature gull of another species, whereas the young 
of other gulls, being plain brown things, suggest their 
juvenility on the analogy of pheasants or birds of 
paradise. The general colour is mauvy grey, but 
black, falling here and there upon it, seems striving to 
blot it out. Half of the wings are thus darkened, 
and a broad half-moon of sooty black nearly encircles 
the neck, looking like black velvet on the back of 
it, where it is by much the broadest. There is a 
clouded black mark, too, on either side of the head, 
with some nuances of black between, black tips the 
tail, and the beak is all black. The ‘out ensemble of all 
this is very pretty, and the young kittiwake is a pretty 
bird. Mauve and black velvet is the dress it comes 
out in, and it looks like a soft little dove. Many 
might admire it beyond the grown bird, but, per- 
sonally, I prefer the latter. 
One of these well-grown young kittiwakes has just 
been fed by the mother, or father—but call it the 
mother, it always sounds better. Being importuned 
by sundry little peckings at her beak, she opened it, 
and the young one, thrusting in its own, helped him- 
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