The Zoologist — January, 1874. 3811 



Dovekies indiscriminately occupy the neighbouring crevices. The 

 largest number of young kittiwakes in a nest appeared to be three ; 

 they are about the prettiest sea-bird in the country. High hum- 

 mocks and picturesque pieces of drift ice are much resorted to by 

 parties of them during the summer. Like their namesakes, these 

 fair kitties make a great pretence of being busily occupied in what 

 is mere fancy work, and are much sought after by the lords of 

 creation if they happen to possess a little something of their own. 

 They always appear to be fishing for pteropods and shrimps, and 

 are chased by some bird more powerful than themselves whenever 

 they succeed in catching any. They also catch Boreogadi amidst 

 the ice. 



Larus glaucus (Glaucous Gull). — Burgomasters all the world 

 over are remarkable for their fussy obtiusiveness. We were there- 

 fore not surprised to find them in Spitsbergen everywhere making 

 a great noise about nothing at all, and meddling officiously with 

 matters that did not concern them. They need no placard or 

 notice-board to tell them that positions commanding extensive sea- 

 views are " eligible sites for building purposes," for without their 

 being recommended to them they are sure to thrust themselves 

 into the most prominent and conspicuous places, even though these 

 be no higher than the level of the platform of a stump orator. 

 Burgomasters usually treat one another with great deference, and 

 are much more looked up to by the common looms, who report the 

 movements of these noble birds to the general community as matters 

 of the greatest importance. Every eye is directed towards them 

 whenever they deign to take an airing along the crowded cliffs. At 

 Alk Range we found many nests with young on the 13th of July. 

 Most of them were placed on pinnacles or buttresses of rock pro- 

 jecting from slopes easy of access at moderate heights above the 

 sea : some were inaccessible, being on the summits of castellated 

 cliffs and towering precipices; a iew were in the very midst of the 

 looms. I found other nests high up in the cliffs of a valley receding 

 from Wiide Bay, near the entrance of East Fiord, in company with 

 rotches and dovekies. But they do not always select lofty situa- 

 tions. About four miles east of Alk Range, on an island of hyperite 

 in Hinlopen Straits, a burgomaster's nest was on a wide ledge of 

 rock not twenty feet above the sea, surrounded (at a respectful 

 distance) by sitting eiders. Another at Moffen Island was built 

 upon the upturned roots of a spruce fir, amongst the drift wood, 



