KITTIWAKE GULL. 583 



reference to a Gull. He says, " In the next parish to 

 this there is a Gull, either the Larus hybernus, or L. rissw, 

 which was brought up there about twenty-seven years ago. 

 There is a small piece of water which it used to frequent, 

 but for many years it has nearly forsaken this, and spends 

 its time, either sitting upon the rails of one or two cottages 

 to which it confines its visits, or flying at liberty around 

 the country. Every spring, when the breeding-season 

 arrives, it leaves the parish, which is inland, and pairing 

 with one of the wild birds, inhabits the white cliffs on the 

 coast,* whence it returns again alone when the breeding- 

 season is over. It is so tame at other times with those 

 whom it knows, that it will come into their cottages and 

 eat out of their hands, but will not allow itself to be 

 approached thus closely by strangers." 



The Kittiwake breeds high up on rocky cliffs, and is 

 found by the egg-collectors to select very narrow ledges. 

 The nests are formed of sea weeds, and are generally placed 

 very close together. Three eggs is the most usual number 

 in each nest : these are two inches two lines and a half in 

 length, by one inch and seven lines in breadth ; of a stone 

 colour, tinged with olive, thickly spotted with ash grey, 

 and two shades of light brown. The principal food of the 

 Kittiwake is the small surface-swimming fry of fishes, and 

 other soft marine animals. 



Besides breeding on many of the high ranges of cliffs 

 along the southern line of our shores, this bird breeds also 

 on many of the high rocky promontories on the eastern 



* The circumstance of this bird visiting the cliffs of the Isle of Wight 

 to breed, induces me to believe that it was a Kittiwake, which species 

 breed there every year in great numbers. Our Common Gull, to which 

 Gmelin applied the term Larus hybernus, breeds on low flat islands or 

 marshes whenever it has the power of choosing, and of such ground there 

 is plenty on the Lymington and Hurst Castle side of the Southampton 

 Water. 



