THE KrmWAKE. 345 



on the borders of Strangford Lough. All these birds were 

 miserably poor in flesh ; four of them weighed respectively 10, 

 9, 8f , and 7f ounces avoirdupois ; — Bewick notes the weight of 

 the bird as 14 oz. So light were several of these birds that 

 they were imagined by persons lifting them to be mere skins, put 

 up in a natural form by the taxidermist. In the stomach of one was 

 found a specimen of the fresh-water shell Paludina impura — of an- 

 other, the remains of a crab ; one was well filled with earthwornas 

 and earth (this bird was killed when " following the plough ") ; 

 and the bill of another contained some dry loamy earth ; the 

 stomachs of all the others were empty. At this season the colour 

 of the tongue, whole inside of mouth, and naked skin round the 

 eye, was brilliant orange. On the 12th of February, 1850, an 

 adult bird was picked up dead in Belfast Bay, and, like those of 

 last year, was very poor ; — a week afterwards one in good condition 

 was obtained. 



The kittiwake, being taken inland in the north, has just been 

 mentioned ; and, with respect to the county of Wexford, we are 

 told that it " sometimes wanders inland in search of worms, 

 rarely alighting, however, but dipping down for a moment to pick 

 somethiug up, and quickly resuming its flight.""^ This is op- 

 posed to the usual habit of the species : — both Mr. Selby and 

 Sir Wm. Jardine remark, that it never advances inland; but 

 feeds exclusively on the productions of the sea. 



Mr. Selby observes, that the kittiwake " seems to be more 

 abundant upon the eastern than the opposite side of the kingdom 

 [England],^^ adding " which may perhaps be attributed to the 

 line of its migrative flight from the eastern parts of Europe, to 

 which shores the great body of those that "breed here seem to 

 retire in winter" (p. 494). But may not its comparative scarcity 

 on the western coast of England rather be attributed to a want of 

 suitable breeding-places, as in Ireland a westerly position has no 

 influence in this respect, several of the islets lying ofl^ the western 

 coast from north to south being its greatest breeding-haunts ? 



♦ Mr. J. Foole. 



