130 BIRDS OF ICELAND 



Uria grylle (Linn.). Black Guillemot. 



Native names: 'Teista' (Scotice, 'Tystie'), otherwise 

 ' J)eista,' ' kofa,' ' teistukofa/ ' peturskofa/ none of 

 which I have heard used but the first-mentioned. 



Common and resident all round the coasts, breeding 

 in cracks of rocks and under boulders on sea islets and 

 skerries ; sometimes in sea-cliffs. The Black Guillemot, 

 unlike the rest of the family, lays two eggs at a time, 

 of a whitish colour, sometimes with a green tint, 

 spotted and blotched with blue-grey and dark brown. 

 Length 2 J inches, or a little more. 



The bird is sooty black, with a white patch on the 

 wing, like a Blackcock's. The legs, feet, and the inside 

 of the mouth are of a bright reddish orange. Length 

 14 inches, wing 6|- inches. In winter the upper parts 

 are much flecked with white, and the underparts nearly 

 white. 



It is a pretty, tame little creature, and feeds upon 

 little fish, Crustacea, and marine ' various.' On the 

 west coast of Scotland I have found crane-flies 

 (Tipulce) inside it, picked, no doubt, in a drowned state 

 off the water. 



Mergulus alle (Linn.). Little Auk. 



Native name: 'HaftirSill' or ' HaftyrSill.' Mohr 

 christened it 'Halkion,' but the name has never 

 been generally accepted. The first means ' a little 

 object on the sea.' 



