148 THE KITTIWAKE GULL. 



is afforded. Their bills and feet are now quite black, the eye dark, and they 

 do not change these colours until the second spring after their birth, when 

 the bill is dull yellow, the legs and feet of a greenish flesh-colour, and these 

 parts gradually improve in their tints until they acquire the appearance re- 

 presented in the plate. This species raises only one brood in the season, and 

 old and young leave the coast of Labrador at the first appearance of winter, 

 or when the Ivory Gull reaches that country. This, however, I know only 

 from hearsay, having received the information from a settler at Bras d'Or, 

 who has lived there many years, and must know something of both species, 

 as he was in the habit of salting young Kittiwakes for winter provisions, 

 along with those of other species, and of shooting the Ivory Gull when it 

 arrived over his harbour in the month of December. 



The Kittiwake is on land the most awkward of its tribe; and, although it 

 walks often on the rocks, its gait manifests a waddling gaucherie; but on the 

 water, or in the air, few birds surpass it in buoyancy, grace, and ease of 

 motion. Bearing up against the heaviest gale, it passes from one trough of 

 the sea to another, as if anxious to rest for an instant under the lee of the 

 billows; yet as these are seen to rear their curling crests, the Gull is already 

 several feet above them, and preparing to plunge into the next hollow. 

 While in our harbour, and during fine weather, they seemed to play with 

 their companions of other species. Now with a spiral curve, they descend 

 toward the water, support themselves by beats of their wings, decline their 

 heads, and pick up a young herring or some bit of garbage, when away they 

 fly, chased perhaps by several others anxious to rob them of the prize. 

 Noon has arrived. High above the mast-head of our largest man-of-war, the 

 Kittiwakes float gracefully in wide circles, until all, as if fatigued, sail down- 

 ward again with common accord towards the transparent deep, and, alighting 

 close to each other, seem to ride safely at anchor. There they now occupy 

 themselves in cleaning and arranging their beautiful plumage. 



The food of this species consists of small fish, sea insects, and small 

 bivalves, most of which they procure while on wing, even those left dry by 

 the tide. Unlike the larger species, they do not take up shell-fish to break 

 them by letting them fall on the rocks; at least I never saw them do so. 

 Their principal enemies are different species of Lestris, especially that beau- 

 tiful one named the L. parasiticus. This tormentor follows the Kittiwake 

 to the very waters around the Gulf of Florida during the winter. There, 

 with astonishing swiftness, and an audacity scarcely to be surpassed, it gives 

 chase to the Gull, overtakes it, and forces it to alight on the water, or to 

 disgorge the fish which it has just swallowed. 



The two represented in the plate were drawn at Boston, at the approach 

 of spring, when the old birds had already assumed the pure white of the 



