450 LAKID.E 



south as the Gulf of St. Lawrence, on the Atlantic side, and 

 the Kurile Islands on the Pacific side. In the Arctic regions 

 it is practically circumpolar in the breeding-season, having 

 reached 81 40' in Smith Sound. On migration in winter it 

 visits the Mediterranean, extending eastward to the Black 

 and Caspian Seas, and southward to North Africa and the 

 adjoining Islands, to about lat. 30 N. Along both sides 

 of the North American sea-board it is found as far as lat. 

 35 N. 



DESCRIPTIVE CHARACTERS. 



PLUMAGE. Adult male nuptial. Head, neck, breast, 

 abdomen, rump, and tail, white ; back and wings, deep 

 ' french ' grey or light slate-colour ; scapulars, margined 

 with greyish-white ; secondaries, broadly edged with white ; 

 primaries, pale 'french' grey; terminal portions of the 

 first three, black ; fourth, fifth, and sixth, barred with black 

 and tipped with white ; remaining primaries, greyish ; outer 

 web of first primary, black. 



Adult female nuptial. Similar to the male plumage. 



Adult winter, 1 male and female. .Differs from the 

 nuptial plumage in that the back of the head and neck are 

 patched with greyish-blue, similar in shade to that on the 

 wings ; ear-coverts, light bluish-black. 



Immature, male and female? Back of neck, banded 



1 As a practical hint to collectors, I would say that by keeping a 

 sharp look-out after storms, many valuable specimens may be picked up. 

 Kittiwakes, in winter-plumage, are hard to obtain, as they seldom*frequent 

 our coasts at that time of year. One of the best specimens that I have 

 mounted I picked up on the Dublin coast. I have examined a great 

 number of these birds, and have noted that some, washed ashore in late 

 spring, and apparently quite fresh, still retained their winter-plumage. On 

 one occasion I found a dead Kittiwake in winter-dress on the Dublin coast, 

 as late as May 18th, 1901, and on June 9th, whilst sailing in a trawler 

 from Dublin to Lambay Island, a beautiful adult in perfect winter- 

 plumage accompanied the vessel. As we fed the birds a large gathering 

 came round us, but all save the one just mentioned had the snowy-white 

 heads of nuptial plumage. I have made post mortems on Kittiwakes 

 ' found dead,' and in a number of cases no signs of violence or even bruises 

 were evident. This suggests that the birds are not always beaten to 

 death against rocks. But I have usually found the stomach and entire 

 alimentary tract completely empty, starvation apparently being an active 

 factor in the cause of death. 



2 The Kittiwake in immature plumage was formerly known as the 

 ' Tarrock ' Gull. It was first figured as an immature Kittiwake in an 

 early edition of ' Bewick's British Birds.' 



