AUKS, MURRES, AND PUFFINS 



possession of a group of small rocks, or a col(jny 

 of several hundred may share cliffs with Cor- 

 morants. Tufted Puffins, and Glaucous Gulls. 

 Mr. Finley observes (ms.) that off the Oregon 

 coast these Guillemots nest in isolated places and 



not in colonies. " They like a crevice or a hole 

 in the face of a clift' for a nest site." On land 

 they have an awkward shanililing gait, but in 

 the water they are entirely at ease, and are swift 

 swimmers and expert divers. 



MURRE 

 Uria troille troille {Li)uurus) 



A. O. U. Number 30 



Other Names. — Foolish Guillemot; Guillem, or 

 Gvvilvm ; Tinker; Tinkershire ; Kiddavv ; Skidtlaw ; 

 Marrock ; Willock ; Scuttock ; Scout ; Strany ; Lavy ; 

 Frowl. 



General Description. — Length. 17 inches. Color 

 above, brown ; below, white. Bill, narrow and slender. 



Color. — Adults in Summer: Head and neck all 

 around, rich ntaroon-brois.ni shading on upper parts into 

 dark slaty-brown ; some feathers of back and rump 

 with grayish-brown edges ; secondaries, narrowly tipped 

 with white; under parts, pure white; sides and flanks 

 with dusky markings; bill, black, feet, dusky; iris, 

 brown. Adults in Wintes: White of under parts. 



reaching bill, on sides of head to level of gape, extend- 

 ing further around on sides of neck, leaving only a 

 narrow line of dark color; the two colors shading with- 

 out sharp line of demarcation. 



Nest and Eggs. — A single egg. remarkably variable 

 in coloration, is laid on the rock of cliffs, without any 

 attempt at nest buildin,g ; it varies from white to dark 

 green, spotted, blotched, and scratched with black, 

 brown, and lilac over the entire surface. 



Distribution. — Coasts and islands of North .Atlantic ; 

 breeds in North America from southern Greenland and 

 southern Ungava south to Newfoundland and Mag- 

 dalen Islands; winters south to Maine. 



The comnKin Alurre's natural habitat is the 

 northern Atlantic Ocean, and various islands 

 therein, but in winter it wanders southward as 

 far as New England, and possibly to New York, 

 though the records of its appearances there seem 

 not to be entirely reliable. On the water this 

 bird looks much like a Duck, though its neck is 

 shorter and its bill more pointed than i'^ charac- 



MURRE (i nat. sizel 

 Drawing by R. I. BrasliL-r 



