72 WILD LIFE OF SCOTLAND 



is just beyond the breakers. In the water he is 

 known by his smaller size and purer plumage ; on 

 the land by his clumsy motions and black legs ; in 

 the air by his buoyant flight and characteristic cry 

 of " kitt-ee-a, kitt-ee-a." He is, perhaps, the most 

 local of the gulls, absent from some portions of the 

 coast, and abounding in others. He is, therefore 

 like many another creature rare or numerous 

 according to the position of the observer. I find a 

 disposition among fishermen to call every gull a 

 kittiwake. 



In addition to the grey .gulls, we have the two 

 blackbacks. The lesser, though nowhere absent, 

 is thinly scattered, and not nearly so common as 

 on the west coast, where he breeds abundantly on 

 the moorlands and lochs. He has an evil reputa- 

 tion for destroying eggs. 



Not contented with the eggs, the greater black- 

 back attacks the young birds, and is even charged 

 with destroying lambs. Singly he sails into our 

 estuaries, attracting the attention of the least 

 observant by his great size, and the stretch of two 

 yards from tip to tip of the fully-expanded wings. 



The gulls grasp their food with the bill or feet 

 indifferently, whichever is handiest, and nothing 

 seems to come amiss. When fish are not available, 



