1883.] 399 [Brewster. 



drop the feet and for an instant literally stand on the water, while the bill is 

 thrust down and the morsel seized. The action is graceful and so rapid 

 that it is often difficult to see just how it is done. They are tame and confid- 

 ing, often coming within a few yards of us. Ordinarily they are silent, but 

 when a number are together they sometimes utter a low cree, cree, very like 

 the cry of a young Tern. When the tide begins to ebb they float past our 

 vessel, singly or in little companies, paddling about irregularly like Phal- 

 aropes, and feeding busily as they swim. I threw some pieces of fat among 

 them, but they would not take or even notice it. They sit lightly on the 

 water and carry both head and tail high. When one is killed or wounded 

 the others pay little attention to it, at the most circling once or twice over 

 the spot before passing on. This is at variance with their alleged habits 

 in winter." 



At this place the immature birds were largely in excess of the 

 adults, from which they could be easily distinguished by the 

 black-tipped tail and dark cubital bar. None of the immature 

 specimens which I shot were breeding, but two adults showed 

 unmistakable incubating spots. 



At Bird Rocks Professor Hyatt obtained two young Kittiwakes 

 apparently not more than three or four days old. They were de- 

 posited in a pail on deck and fed upon fish, which they ate 

 freely. We could not induce them to drink, however, and in spite 

 of every attention that could be thought of they pined rapidly. On 

 the second day one of them died. The survivor was failing fast 

 when some one placed him in a basin filled with salt-water, hop- 

 ing that a bath might prove beneficial. To our great surprise he 

 instantly began to drink, swallowing draught after draught with 

 evident satisfaction. After that there was no farther trouble. 

 He had a dish of sea-water constantly within reach and it was fre- 

 quently resorted to ; but we could never tempt him to take fresh 

 water, although the experiment was tried repeatedly. 



Various theories have been advanced to account for the way 

 in which sea-birds satisfy their thirst, theories which, as nearly as 

 I can remember, have always started with the assumption that 

 these birds must get fresh water, provided they drink at all 

 (which has been disputed) ; but no one, I believe, has ventured 

 to assert that they drink salt water. Nevertheless the facts just 

 related show that the Kittiwake does this ; and furthermore that 

 it cannot or will not take fresh water when actually suffering 

 from thirst. In view of such a development it is highly probable 



