LARID/E — THE GULLS AND TERNS - RISSA. 



203 





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Had. Circunipolftr Rcgioiifi in Huninier, cDiniiiy south in winti-r to the MiiUUe States iiuil Ureat 

 Lukes ; no l*Hcific const record south of Ahwkiv. 



Sp. Char. Adult, in sumvier: Mantle (U'cp pcarl-gruy (about the same shudo as in Larits 

 hmchiirhynchus ami L. calif nniiciis), the secondaries jnussin},' into white terniinully. Primaries paler 

 ]u'arl-blue, the five outer (luills with their terminal jjortion black, this cohn* extend inj,' for aljout 

 ;).•_'") inches <m the outer and .75 of an inch, more or less, on the lifth, and of intermediate e.xtenl on 

 tlidse between ; outer web of the exterior (luill almost wholly black ; inner (juills i)ale pearl-blue, 

 [.(•arcely paler terminally, the si.xth sometimes marked with a black spot near the end of the outer 

 wcl) ; fifth (luill tii)ped with white, and fourth with u miinite apical sjiot (when not worn off). 

 Rest of the plumn},'e snow-white. Dill pale yellow, somelimca tin},'cd with greenish ; inside of 

 mouth vermilion-red ; eyelids red ; iris brown; 

 li'^'s and feet black or dusky brown. Adult, in 

 vinler: Similar, but nape and occiput washed 

 with the color of the back, the auricular rej^ion, 

 and innnediately in front of the eye, with a 

 dark jiluml)eou8 suffusion, sometimes extendiuf; 

 niTiiss the occii)ut. I'ounrj, first plumayc : Some- 

 what similar to the winter adult, but lower 

 part of nape covered by a large transverse patch 

 (if black, the anterior lesser wing-coverts also 

 more or less black, as are the centres of the inner 

 Idii^'cr coverts and tertials ; primary coverts and 

 outer webs of four or five outer primaries also 

 black. Tail crossed at the end (except lateral 

 pair of f.-athers) by a broad black band, widest 

 oil the intermediie. Bill wholly black ; " edge 

 of eyelids and iris as in the adult" (AuDi;- 

 hon) ; legs and feet dusky brownish. Downy 



\louHij: Head, neck, wings, and lower parts, immaculate white, the nape and base of the wings 

 iiKirc or Icsis tinged with buff ; back, rump, and Hanks, yellowish gray, the down darker at the 

 base. 



Wing, about 12.25 inches ; culnien, 1.40-1.50 ; depth of bill at base, .59, through angle, .40 ; 

 tarsus, 1.30 ; middle toe (with claw), 1.80. 



The Common Kittiwake is a northern species, found both in Europe and America, 

 in the waters of the Atlantic, and represented on tlie I'acific by an allied form so 

 essentially similar to it that the two cannot be specifically distinguished from each 

 otlu'r. It is more or less abundant in the northern portions of Asia and Europe, 

 and occurs on both the eastern and -western shores of North America in northern 

 latitudes. During the winter it wanders south in an irregular manner. 



Mr. Godman met with a few individuals about the harbor of Punta Delgada, in 

 the Azores, on his arrival there, and Avas informed by the master of one of the fruit 

 schooners that these birds frequently followed his vessel through the whole of the 

 voyage from England. ]\Ir. Godman was led to believe tliat this species breeds about 

 the coast of Teneriffe. He is confident that he saw either this bird or L. canns 

 at Teneriffe in the middle of M.ay, but he was not able to secure any specimens. 

 Mr. Saunders found the Kittiwake abundant on the outside of the Straits of Gibraltar 

 in the winter, but it was more rare to the eastward. 



The Kittiwake is given by Middendorff as a bird of Siberia, where it extends its 

 movements to the farthest north. Mr. Gillett mentions his having found it common 

 along the entire coast of Nova Zenibla. Von Heuglin found it one of the most com- 

 mon species on the west coast of Nova Zembla. It was not seen in Matthews' Strait, 

 nor on Waigatsch Island. 



