BLACK GUILLEMOT. 397 



much more shy and wary than the other Guillemots. The 

 eggs (called improperly those of the Noddy) are brought 

 sometimes in small coasting-vessels to Boston market. 



There are two races of the Sea Pigeon in our fauna, — for 

 Mandt's Guillemot is only a Northern race or variety of the pres- 

 ent species, — and of these the Black Guillemot is the more south- 

 ern in distribution, breeding from the Bay of Fundy to southern 

 Labrador. In winter it is rather common on the New England 

 shores, and a few examples wander as far south as New Jersey. 



I did not find these birds as shy as Nuttall's statement led me to 

 anticipate. They were somewhat wary and alert, but allowed me 

 to paddle within easy shooting distance without displaying much 

 alarm. When they finally concluded that I was an unsafe neigh- 

 bor, they lost no time in getting out of my sight, diving with sur- 

 prising suddenness. They usually swam a long distance under 

 water with great rapidity, using their wings as well as feet, and 

 coming to the surface far beyond gunshot range. 



The Sea Pigeons are met usually in small flocks of half a 

 dozen or more, and generally feed in the open sea at the base of 

 bold cliffs. When on the wing they proceed rapidly and in a 

 straight line, and rarely more than a few feet from the surface 

 of the water. On approching their nesting-site they rise rather 

 abruptly, and fly directly to their nests. 



Note. — Mandt's Guillemot (C. mandtii) is a northern variety 

 of the Sea Pigeon, differing from grylle in lacking the black bar 

 on the wing-patch, and having a somewhat stouter bill. It breeds 

 from high Arctic regions to the coast of Labrador and Hudson Bay, 

 and in winter may be found off the Atlantic shores from south 

 Greenland to New Jersey, though it is not at all common along 

 the southern portion of its range. 



The Black-wixged Guillemot (C motzfeldi) is said to occur 

 on the shores of Cumberland Bay and in Greenland, though it has 

 been put in the Hypothetical List of " The A. O. U. Check List " 

 with the note : " Its specific validity not satisfactorily established." 



