AUKS, AIURRES, AND PUFFINS 



23 



The Ancient Murrelet is another of the divin.ef 

 birds which fairly swarm on many of islands 

 along the southern coast of Alaska. It ranges as 

 far south as California in summer, and tlicn is 

 common on the Commander Islands in the Bering 

 Sea, where the nati\es call it the " Old Alan." 

 because of the curious feather arrangement on 

 the sides and back of the head. These feathers 



are dropped as winter comes on, so that the sig- 

 nificance of the popular name may not be ap- 

 parent when the bird visits its southern feeding 

 grounds. 



The Ancient Alurrelct is an expert diver, and 

 swims very rapidly under water, wheix' it pur- 

 sues fish with such energy as sometimes actually 

 to drive them to the surface. 



BLACK GUILLEMOT 

 Cepphus grylle ( Liiuuciis) 



A. O, U. Xumhcr 27 See C^oior Plate j 



Guillemot : Sea 

 Greenland Dove ; 



Other Names. — White-winged 

 Pigeon : Tysty ; Gcylle ; Spotted 

 White Guillemot ; Scapular Guillemot. 



General Description.— Length, 13 inches. Prevail- 

 ing color, in summer, sooty-hlack ; in winter, black and 

 white; bill, slender and straight, witli no horny gro-a-th 

 at base. 



Color. — Sooty-black ; wings and tail, pure black ; 

 wlnys tvith a large tchitc mirror on both surfaces: bill, 

 black ; mouth and feet, carmine, vermilion, or coral- 

 red ; iris, brown. This perfect dress is worn only two 

 months. In August, wings and tail become gray, the 

 white mirror is mixed with brown, head, neck all 

 around, rump, and under parts, marbled with black and 

 white, the bird looking as if dusted over with flour; 



back, black, the feathers white-edged; completion of 

 the molt gives the following winter plumage: head and 

 neck all around, rump, and under parts, pure white ; 

 back, hindneck. and head varied with black and white ; 

 wings and tail, black, the white mirror perfect. 



Nest and Eggs.— Eggs : Deposited on the bare sur- 

 face of the rock, in nooks and crannies of rocky islands 

 on coast ; 2 or 3, white or greenish-white, irregularly 

 spotted and blotched with dusky and lavender shell 

 markings. 



Distribution. — Coasts of eastern North America and 

 northwestern Europe, breeding from southern Green- 

 land and Ungava to Maine ; winters from Cumberland 

 Sound south to Cape Cod; rarely to Long Island. N. Y., 

 and Xew lersev. 



Siimmi r 



Drawing by R. I. Brasher 



BLACK GUILLEMOT (1 nat. size) 



Their black bodies, white-lined wings, and red legs make a color scheme well worth seeing 



