2 
KITTIWAKE. 
In the ‘ Natural History of Ireland ’ by 'William Tliompson, puldislied in 1851, it is stated : 
At Ballantrae, on the coast of Ayrshire, these birds are commonly taken, in the following manner, by idle 
boys. They bait hooks with the liver of the cod-fish, and fling them as far out from the shore as possible, 
having a stone as a counterpoise to the gull’s weight attached to the opposite end of the string, and left at the 
edge of the water. They then retire to such a distance as to allow the victims to come freely to the bait, and 
so soon as this is swallowed, they liasten to the stone and draw in the line with the hooked gull at its other 
extremity. Various species of gulls liave been thus taken. The Kittiwakes are purchased on the spot at a 
penny each for the sake of their feathers, and a person of my acquaintance there has obtained as many of them 
from birds captured in this manner, as have sufficed to stuff some pillows.” 
I shall conclude my account of the persecution to which this species is subjected by a short extract from 
Mr. Dresser’s ‘ Birds of Europe ’ : — 
“ Next to the Hcrring-Gull tlie Kittiwake is the commonest Gull in the south-western counties, and is 
equally numerous at all times of the year. There is a large breeding-station at Lundy Island, also on some of 
the granitic cliffs near the Land’s End, and at various other places on the southern coasts, the Cob Bock, off 
Berry Head, affording a home to a small colony, as Lord Lilford has informed me. Great numbers of Gulls 
follow the shoals of sprats into the muddy bays of the Bristol Channel in the winter season ; and at Weston- 
super-Mare it is a common amusement with boys to place small jins along the shore baited with broken fish ; 
and in this manner numbers of Gulls are easily captured, Kittiwakes and Brown-headed Gulls being most 
largely represented among the victims.” 
Dresser informs us that this species satisfies its hunger by partaking of a variety of tiny morsels “ It 
feeds on small fishes, Crustacea, and other marine animals, which it usually obtains from the surface of the 
water, over which it hovers with elevated wings when picking up its food.” Other authors confirm these 
statements, but I am of opinion that the birds require more substantial nourishment than what is referred to. 
In June 1865 I was staying at North Berwick, on the shore of the Firth of Forth, and took the opportunity of 
securing specimens of all the sea-birds breeding at the Bass Bock. After shooting a couple of Kittiwakes which 
flew past the boat near the island of Craig Leith, we picked them up and while liolding one of them by the leg 
and shaking the water from its feathers, three large herrings dropped from its mouth. The other, I ascertained 
later on, had one fisli of the same kind with a quantity of some small fry : herrings were at that time very 
plentiful in the Firth. 
I never observed a Kittiwake far away from the sea, though during the terrible gale in November 1872, 
which continued for six days, a few that had been knocking about in the roads off Yarmouth ivere carried on to 
Breydon mudflats by the frightful gusts of wind, and some made their way further inland to the marshes. 
Ihese, so fai as I could asceitain, all returned at the first lull in the storm, and following the course of the 
river flew slowly out towards the sea to brave once more the gales that sweep over the briny ocean. 
M illiarn Thompson, in his ‘ Isatui’al History of Ireland,’ gives the following description of the hardships 
to V hich these birds are occasionally exposed in severe weather when carried inland by protracted gales, and 
finally succumbing from exposure to cold and starvation : — 
“ Isolated instances only of its occurrence in Avinter, as just indicated, were known to me until 1849, when 
Avithin the last ten days of January, one old and tAvo young birds were shot in Belfast Bay, and another old bird 
Avas found dead ; they Avere mere skeletons, as Kittiwakes procured here at this season have generally been. 
Only one contained in its stomach any food, Avhich consisted of the remains of several of the crustaceous genus 
Idotea. BetvA'een the 20th of February and the 5th of March that year, ten birds, all adult, came under my 
notice : three shot in Belfast Bay ; three found dead on the beach near Holywood, and Avith them a herring- 
gull : all seeming to have died a natural death ; tAvo Avere procured at different inland places (one shot and the 
other found dead), five miles in a direct line from the sea, or if they followed the Avindings of the river Lagan, 
