2 1 2 British Biicis. 



This species has quite a difterentl_v shaped bill from the 



BRLNN'KHS Common Guillemot and mi;,'iit almost be genericallv separated: 



GUILLhMOT. . . , , , ' ,, / ' . 



It IS much stouter and has an enamelled appearance near the 

 [Ufin loiiivin.) 



i^ape. The colour, too, is different from that of U. ti'oilc. as 



the throat and sides of the face and neck are of a chocolate-brown colour, which 

 contiasts with the black of the upper surface It is only an occasional winter 

 visitor to Great Britain, being an inhabitant of the Arctic Regions, nesting in 

 Spitsbergen and Greenland, as well as on the Pacific side of North America. The 

 single egg is laid on the shelves of rock, and is subject to great variati(.)n in colour. 

 In habits the species resembles the Common Guillemot. 



I — The Common Guillemot. 



2 — The Bridled Guillemot. 

 4 — The Bl.\ck Guillemot. 



• Brunnich's Guillemot, 



THE BLACK 

 GUILLEMOT. 



{Cepphu^ oryllc.) 



This is a much smaller bird than the preceding, and has a 

 smaller bill. The summer and winter plumages are also verj- 

 distinct, though it would appear that very old birds retain their 

 black dress throughout the winter season. It can always be 

 distinguished by its brij;ht coral-red feet. Young birds are at first white-breasted, 

 and when the black dress has been donned, they can always be told b)- the black ends 

 to the wing-coverts, these being always pure white in a fully adult bird. The Black 

 Guillemot breeds in the north of Scotland and in Ireland, and is found on the coasts 

 of Northern Europe, the Faeroes and Southern Greenland. It is generally seen in 

 pairs, but occasionally small parties may be observed, e\en during the breeding- 

 season. The eggs are two in number, and are generally placed in a narrow cleft of 

 rock at some distance from the opening, so that they are by no means easy to reach. 

 There is no nest, and the eggs, which measure from two to two-and-a-half-inches in 

 length, are white with black spots and underlying purplish-grey blotches or spots. 



