PUFFIN, OR COULTERNEB. 545 



serted on the 24th of June, by the entire species, who thus 

 abandoned their eggs and young, and went off to sea. The 

 like incident is said to have happened forty years previous 

 and no reason could be assigned for this extraordinary 

 dereliction. 



Among the enemies of the Coulternebs is sometimes the 

 piraticaljaven, who makes bold to offer battle ; but as soon 

 as he approaches, the defender of the premises catches him 

 under the throat with her beak, and sticks her claws into 

 his breast till he screams out with pain and tries to get away: 

 but the Coulterneb retains her hold, and tumbles him about, 

 till both frequently fall into the sea, where the aggressor is 

 drowned, and the Puffin returns in triumph to her nest. But 

 should the raven at the first onset, get hold of the Coulter- 

 neb's neck he generally comes off victorious, killing the 

 mother and feasting on her eggs or young. The fishermen 

 sometimes draw them out of their burrows by introducmg 

 the hand into the hole, which is seized by the bird, who 

 suffers himself to be pulled out rather than lose his hold. 

 Their bite is however very severe, and they can, when irri- 

 tated, take out a piece of flesh from a man's hand without 

 any extraordinary effort. When reared and domesticated 

 they become quite tame, and in the end familiar. 



The length of the Puffin is a little over 12 inches. The half of 

 tliebill adjoining the head is lead-blue, the other part to the tip, red. 

 The corners of the mouth are puckered so as to form a kind of star. 

 The upper mandible with 4 furrows, the under with 3. The irids are 

 hazel. Orbits red. Above the eye is a triangular callous protuber- 

 ance, beneath an oblong one. The top of the head and whole upper 

 parts are black, passing round the neck in a collar, The sides of 

 the head and all the under parts are pure white. The chin in some 

 is grey, in others white, the cheeks are also grey. Quills dusky. 

 Tail short. Legs and feet orange ; claws black, the inner one much 

 hooked. 



46* 



