Brewster.] 398 [October 3 



78. Rissa tridactyla, Linn. — Kittiwake Gull. 



The Kittiwake breeds in considerable numbers at Bird Rocks, 

 but we found a still larger colony established on the limestone 

 cliffs at Wreck Bay, Anticosti. In both places the nests were 

 plastered all over the face of the cliffs, from near the top to 

 within a few yards of the sea below. Usually they occupied 

 slight projecting points from which they could be easily detached, 

 but a few were more substantially built on ledges or in shallow 

 crevices. They were composed wholly of sea-weed and were 

 saucer-shaped, rather deeply hollowed. All that we examined 

 (the greater number were inaccessible) contained young, most of 

 which were in the down. 



At Bird Rocks few Kittiwakes were seen flying about, the 

 pair belonging to each nest being usually at home, one bird 

 brooding the eggs or young while the other stood or squatted on 

 the rim of the nest. At intervals their shrill kitty-wake, kitty- 

 wake, rang along the cliffs, being taken up by one bird after an- 

 other like a watchword j^assed among sentinels ; nevertheless 

 they showed little alarm at our presence, rarely starting even 

 when a gun was fired near them. 



The colony at Wreck Bay was more active and bustling. 

 Many birds were continually passing to and fro between the cliffs 

 and the fishing grounds well out in the bay, and the arrival of 

 each successive party was greeted with a general outcry of wel- 

 come. They were catching live fish here, and I was astonished to 

 see them accomplish this in the manner of Terns, plunging 

 straight down into the water and often disappearing for a mo- 

 ment beneath its surface. I shot several in the act before I could 

 believe that they were really Gulls. 



At Grand Entry Harbor their habits differed considerably, as 

 will appear from the following extract of some notes which I 

 made there under date of July 1 : — 



" There is a spot near our anchorage where the refuse from the lobster 

 canning works is dumped at frequent intervals. Here the Kittiwakes con- 

 gregate by hundreds. It is a pretty sight — the cloud of white birds hov- 

 ering over the blue water, dozens sweeping down at once to join in the 

 feast, eager, animated, excited, but showing not the slightest jealousy or 

 selfish greediness. Their motions are identical with those of other Gulls 

 under similar conditions. When about to pick up a floating object they 



