THE KITTIWAKE. 
345 
on the borders of Strangford Lough. All these birds were 
miserably poor in flesh ; four of them weighed respectively 10, 
9, 8f, and 7f ounces avoirdupois; — Bewick notes the weight of 
the bird as 14 oz. So light were several of these birds that 
they were imagined by persons lifting them to be mere skins, put 
up in a natural form by the taxidermist. In the stomach of one was 
found a specimen of the fresh-water shell Paludina impura — of an- 
other, the remains of a crab ; one was well filled with earthworms 
and earth (this bird was killed when “ following the plough ”) ; 
and the bill of another contained some dry loamy earth ; the 
stomachs of all the others were empty. At this season the colour 
of the tongue, whole inside of mouth, and naked skin round tbe 
eye, was brilliant orange. On the 12th of February, 1850, an 
adult bird was picked up dead in Belfast Bay, and, like those of 
last year, was very poor ; — a week afterwards one in good condition 
was obtained. 
The kittiwake, being taken inland in the north, has just been 
mentioned ; and, with respect to the county of Wexford, we are 
told that it “ sometimes wanders inland in search of worms, 
rarely alighting, however, but dipping down for a moment to pick 
something up, and quickly resuming its flight.”* This is op- 
posed to the usual habit of the species : — both Mr. Selby and 
Sir Win. Jardine remark, that it never advances inland; but 
feeds exclusively on the productions of the sea. 
Mr. Selby observes, that the kittiwake “ seems to be more 
abundant upon the eastern than the opposite side of the kingdom 
[England],” adding “ which may perhaps be attributed to the 
line of its migrative flight from the eastern parts of Europe, to 
which shores the great body of those that breed here seem to 
retire in winter” (p. 494). But may not its comparative scarcity 
on the western coast of England rather be attributed to a want of 
suitable breeding-places, as in Ireland a westerly position has no 
influence in this respect, several of the islets lying off the western 
coast from north to south being its greatest breeding-haunts ? 
* Mr. J. Poole. 
