99 



NESTS AND EGGS 



nesting not alway^w J ^j ittle is known % ^ 

 overhanging water. On G^. said to for/^% <& 

 Gull is especially numerous, wv>t s j n ma , - t Q ^^ ^> 



ledges ; they are composed of grasV^ pfo ^ o?^4 e ^c 



are quite flat, while others are several X> r - ,/* *> rhirktip<;<; "affir^ 



\.\,/~Y *"*>* *XJL Li.1 JLV_ JvlICoo dJJLvx ,_, ^ L/i y 



hollowed, new material being added each y^ ar> an d t^y are sometimes 

 so numerous that the breeding places becom^ very filthy and emit an 

 intolerable odor. 



The eggs are two arid sometimes three in nt im b er and have a 

 ground-color of yellowish buff, brownish-gray or pa,] e greenish-gray 

 marked with irregular spots of varying shades of brown an( j lil ac . The 

 average size is 2.26 x 1.61. 



40^. Rissa tridaetyla pollicaris RIDGW. [6580.] 



Pacific Kittiwake. 



Hab. Coasts of North Pacific and Bering Sea. 



This form of the Kittiwake is abundant on the islands. o f the 

 North Pacific. Dr. Leonhard Stejneger records it as a common breed- 

 ing bird, both on the islands and along the Kamtschatkan coas^t a nd 

 in all places suitable for rookeries they are found in astonishing Cum- 

 bers. For the purpose of nesting they select the shelves and pr<oj e c- 

 tions of cliffs, the tops of walls that rise perpendicularly out of: th e 

 deep sea, and especially on the high pinnacles standing lonely am:^ s t 

 the foaming breakers. The nesting is precisely the same as that of: ^ 

 tridaetyla^ and the eggs are indistinguishable, except that in a lar^ e 

 series they are said to be more uniform in their markings. 



41. Rissa brevirostris (BRUCH.) [659.] 



Rod-legged Kittiwake. 



Hab. Coasts and islands of Bering Sea. 



The living bird of this species has coral-red legs and feet, whicrf, 

 contrast richly with the snowy white plumage of the head, neck ancS 

 under parts. An abundant species on the islands of Bering Sea. Ori 

 the Prybilof group it swarms by tens of thousands to breed in the first/ 

 part of May. It is especially abundant on St. George's and St. Paul's 

 Islands. 



The nests, like those of the Pacific Kittiwake, are placed on almost- 

 inaccessible shelves and projections, so that seldom is a nest reached 

 unless a person is lowered down to it on a rope passed over the cliff. 

 Dry grass and moss cemented with mud are the materials which con- 

 stitute the nests. 



The Red-legged Kittiwake is common on the islands along the 



