NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS EGGS. 25 



GULLS and TERNS. Family LARID/E. 



Gulls are webbed footed birds having a slight hook to the end of the upper 

 mandible. Their plumage is generally a silvery gray above and white below. 

 They nest in large colonies, some on the bodies of fresh water inland, but 

 mostly on the sea coast. They procure their food from the surface of the water, 

 it consisting mostly of dead fish and refuse matter, and Crustacea which they 

 Bather from the waters edge. When tired they rest upon the surface of the water, 

 where they ride the largest waves in perfect safety. 



Terns are birds of similar plumage to the Gulls, but their forms are less robust 

 and the bills are generally longer and sharply pointed. Their food consists- 

 chiefly of small fish which they secure by hovering above the water, and then 

 plunging upon them. They are less often seen on the surface of the water than 

 are the Gulls. 



39. Ivory Gull. Pat/oft/iila alba. 



Range. Arctic regions; south in winter to the northern border of the United 

 tates. 







The little Snow Gull, as it is often called, is eighteen inches in length. In the 

 breeding season the plumage is entirely white ; the bill is tipped with yellow 

 and there is a red ring around the eye. These Gulls nest in large colonies in the 

 Arctic Regions, placing their nests on the high rocky cliffs. The nest is made 

 of grass, moss and rubbish, and the three eggs are laid during June. The eggs 

 are olive color and the markings are dark brown. 



40. Kittiwake. Hixxa tridactyla. 



Range. North Atlantic and Arctic regions, breeding from the Gulf of the St. 

 Lawrence northward and wintering south to the Great Lakes and Long Island. 



The Kittiwake is sixteen inches in length, has a pearly gray mantle, black 

 tips to the primaries, and remainder of plumage white. Its hind toe is very 

 small being apparently wanting in the eastern form, while in the Pacific it is 

 in* MV developed. These are very noisy Gulls, their notes resembling a repetition 

 of their name. They are very common in the far north, placing nests on the 

 l<-d.ir's <>t high rocky cliffs, often in company with Murres and Auks. 



