THE KITTIWAKE GULL. 773 



black hind-neck and lesser and inner wing-coverts with white 

 under -wing distinguish species. 



Field -characters. — Adult has black feet, waxy yellow bill, and 

 mantle of a darker tint than in Common Gull. Is rather smaller 

 than that species, but larger and of more robust build than Black- 

 headed. Juvenile is not smoke -grey like Common Gull, but has 

 white under-parts like Black-headed, a blue-grey mantle spotted 

 with brown, and black bands across nape and base of hind-neck. 

 Outstanding characters in flight at all ages are lack of Black- 

 headed's white band along front edge of wing and broad white sub- 

 terminal wing-patch of Common, Kittiwake's wing-tips looking at a 

 little distance uniformly black. Never seen inland except as a 

 storm-driven and exhausted waif. Sometimes plunges for food like 

 Terns completely immersing body. Call a clear " uck, uck, uck," 

 but rather silent except at breeding stations where cliffs resound 

 with loud cry, " kitti-wa-a-ke." 



Breeding-habits. — In British Isles nests in colonies on precipitous 

 rocks by sea or in sea-caves. Nest. — Built of moss, grass, sea-weed, 

 etc., and fixed to some (often very slight) projection or ledge of rock, 

 being neatly constructed with a well-defined cup. Eggs. — Normally 

 2, but sometimes 3 or occasionally 1 only, ground-colour varying 

 from pale bluish-grey to yellowish -stone and light brown, blotched 

 and spotted chiefly towards large end, with warm brown and ashy- 

 grey. Average of 100 British eggs, 55.97x40.87. Max. : 59.3 X 

 43.4. Min. : 47.1x35.3 mm. Breeding -season. — From end May 

 onward to June. Incubation. — Apparently by both sexes. Period : 

 26th day (Evans) ; 21-24 days (Hantzsch). Single brooded. 



Food. — Mainly small fish ; also small Crustacea (Idotea, etc.), 

 amphipoda and mollusca, while occasionally echini, insects, includ- 

 ing coleoptera and diptera, earthworms, on one occasion a pigmy 

 shrew, and vegetable matter (grass, cereals, aquatic plants, etc.). 



Distribution — British Isles. — Resident and winter-visitor. Breeds 

 abundantly precipitous coasts and islands, Ireland, and north and 

 west Scotland (especially Orkneys, Shetlands, and Hebrides), also 

 Isle of Man, Wales, Lundy Island [in Scilly Isles apparently not 

 since 1900], not south coast England, and only in a few places on 

 east side Great Britain, viz. Flamborough Head (Yorks.), Fame 

 Isles (Northumberland), St. Abb's Head (Berwick), Bass Rock, 

 Isle of May (Forth), Fowlsheugh (Kincardine), Dunbury (Aberdeen), 

 and borders Aberdeen and Banff. In winter widely distributed on 

 all coasts Great Britain, numbers being increased by immigrants, 

 but in Ireland apparently scarcer in winter. Rare inland. 



Distribution. — Abroad. — Breeds from western arctic Asia, Spits- 

 bergen, Franz -Josef Land, Novaya Zemlia, Jan May en, and arctic 

 Europe to north-west France, and from Wellington Channel and 

 north Greenland to Gulf of St. Lawrence, and winters from latter 

 south to New Jersey, and casually to Virginia, Bermudas, and 



