88 LLOYD'S NATURAL HISTORY. 



tion was fully proved, 'they drown the thunder of the surf 

 when they cry.' At length the cloud sank down upon the sea, 

 the hitherto dim outlines of Swartholm became distinct again 

 and a new spectacle enchained our gaze. On the precipices 

 there seemed to sit quite as many birds as before, and thousands 

 were still flying up and down. A second shot scared new 

 flocks, a second time it snowed birds down upon the sea, and 

 still the hillsides were covered with hundreds of thousands. 

 But on the sea, as far as the eye could reach, lay Gulls like 

 light foam-balls rocking up and down with the waves. How 

 shall I describe the magnificent spectacle ? Shall I say that the 

 sea had woven millions and millions of bright pearls into her 

 dark wave-robe? Or shall I compare the Gulls to stars, and the 

 ocean to the dome of heaven ? I know not ; but I know that I 

 have seen nothing more gorgeous even on the sea. And as if 

 the charm were not already great enough, the midnight sun, 

 erewhile clouded over, suddenly shed its rosy light over 

 promontory, and sea, and birds, lighting up every wave-crest as 

 if a golden, wide- meshed net had been thrown over the water, 

 and making the rose-tinted dazzling Gulls appear more brilliant 

 than before. We stood speechless at the sight ! " 



Nest. Seebohm says that the nest of the Kittiwake is better 

 made than is usual with the Gulls. In some districts the 

 foundation is made of turf, with the soil adhering, which the 

 salt spray and the wet feet of the birds soon turn into a kind 

 of mortar. This foundation is finished off into a nest made of 

 seaweed, pieces of marine vegetation, and finally lined with 

 dry grass and sometimes a few feathers. The nests are 

 generally placed upon ledges on cliffs, but in Alaska they were 

 found on small islands by Mr. Dall, the birds making a simple 

 depression in the sand. 



Eggs. Two or three in number, very rarely four, according 

 to Seebohm, who observes that the eggs of the Kittiwake are 

 not easily compared with those of any other British Gull. Mr. 

 Robert Read writes to me : " The eggs of the Kittiwake vary 

 as much as those of the Black-headed Gull, and they are found 

 from almost pure white to deep purplish-brown, with still darker 

 markings. They are, however, never so glossy as the eggs of 

 the Gulls, resembling more the eggs of the Puffin in texture." 



