204 



LONG-WINUED SWIMMERS — LONOll'ENNES. 



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Professor Alfred Nowton found it a very I'onimou bird in Spitzborgon, whore it 

 frequented the whole coast. In I'arry's Expedition it was oljserved feeding' on Mir- 

 Invf/Hs jnthiris and Alj^hem polar is as far to the nortli as was reaelied; namely, lat. 

 81i° 46' N. Dr. Malmgren saw it occupying a uiiildle station on tlie cliffs when! the 

 Gulls were breeding, and found its stomach tilled with the Limarina (irrfini and 

 tlio C/io Imrcnlis. In his last voyage he noticed it breeding on Beacon Island. 



]Mr. Wheelwright states that this Gull is only an occasional visitant of the 

 Soandinavian coasts, and api)ears to be limited exclusively to tlie I'olar seas. 



According to Yarrell, tho Kittiwak(> is far from being a rare bird on the coast of 

 England, and is decidedly a rock-breeder ; and very common in the breeding-season 

 on all the rocky ])arts of the coasts of Ilamjishire, Dorsetshire, Devonshire, and 

 Cornwall. It is only a summer visitor to Ireland ; but is found in considerable 

 numbers on the coast of England in winter, and is also resident on the coast of 

 France. It is said to breed on many of the high ranges of cliffs along the southern 

 shore of England, and also on the high rocky i)romontories on the eastern coast, such 

 as Fliunborough Head, Scarlioiough, the Earne Islands, St. Abb's Head, the Hass Ilock. 

 Aberdeen, and the Orkney and Shetland Islands. Mr. Proctor found it very plentiful 

 in Iceland. In the winter it is said to wander to Genoa, jNladeira, Tripoli, and the 

 Caspian Sea. 



This bird is given by Professor Reinhardt as one of the most common and abundant 

 of the resident species of Greenland. According to the observations of Sir James 

 Ross, it inhabits nearly all parts of the Ai-ctic Regions, having been met with in the 

 highest latitudes then attained by man. It is extremely numerous during the siuii- 

 mer season along the west coast of Prince Regent's Inlet, where, in several places 

 pecidiarly Avell fitted for breeding stations, it congregates in inconceivable numbers. 

 The party under the command of Ross killed enough to supply themselves with several 

 meals, and found it excellent eating, and the flesh free from any unpleasant flavor. 

 Except in the fall, winter, and early spring, this species is not found south of tho 

 St. Lawrence ; but it is numerous after Septend)er and until April in the Ray of 

 Fundy, and along the New England coast ; it even extends its visits to Long Island 

 and Xew Jersey, but is not common there. 



According to information obtained by Sir John Richardson, the Kittiwake abounds 

 in the interior of the Fur Countries, on the coasts of the Pacific, and also on the shores 

 of the Arctic Seas, where it breeds. The young appear in considerable numbers in 

 the autumn on the muddy shores of Hudson's Ray, after which they retire to the 

 southward. The food of this species consists chiefly of small fish and marine and 

 fresh-water insects. This bird is mentioned by Dr. Ressels among those secured in 

 Captain Hall's expedition in the " Polaris." Mr. H. W. Feilden also states that he 

 saw a few Kittiwakes flying over the open water in the vicinity of Port Foulke, July 

 28, 1875, but did not observe any to the northward after entering the ice of Smith's 

 Sound ; and in 1876, as the Expedition returned south, none of these birds were seen 

 until the north water of Baffin's Bay was readied. 



The Kittiwake was met with constantly by Mr. Kumlien from the Straits of Belle 

 Isle northward; and from September until the ice covered the water it was seen in 

 very great numbers. Where the tide ran strongly, these birds followed the stream fer 

 many miles in regular order, half the number constantly dipping into the water, the 

 rest flying on a few feet farther. 



The Kittiwake is occasionally taken at Bermuda in the winter. Mr. Hurdis states 

 that its , presence there is usually in consequence of the violent westerly gales 

 prevailing at that season. 



