BLACK GUILLEMOT. 347 



the north coast of Ireland, and sparingly in the Isle of 

 Man. 



Its habits resemble those of other birds of this family 

 previously mentioned. It is, like them, a sea bird, living 

 upon the water in the winter and coming to the rocks 

 of the above-named haunts in the spring to rear its 

 young. It is a better walker than the Razorbill, but 

 seldom practises it much, and its flight is rapid ; its 

 forte is in its swimming and diving capabilities. Its 

 food consists of the small fry of fish, various marine 

 insects and worms, and Crustacea ; and it is said that 

 it will dive as much as sixty feet below the surface to 

 obtain these. Its pace when swimming under water is 

 extraordinary ; like the Puffin and Razorbill it uses its 

 wings to assist it as well as its feet, its method of pro- 

 gress being really a flight beneath the surface. See- 

 bohm says that its passage under water is quite as 

 rapid as its progress through the air. 



The Black Guillemots breed in colonies, and probably 

 pair for life. They build no nest, but lay their eggs in 

 a crevice in the rock, sometimes high up, at other times 

 right at the base of the cliff, sheltered beneath some 

 fallen blocks of rock, or under some large stones. The 

 eggs are two or three in number, generally the latter, 

 and are very similar to eggs of the Razorbill, but much 

 smaller. Certain varieties also closely resemble the 

 eggs of the Sandwich Tern. They are white or bluish 

 white in ground colour, blotched, spotted, and speckled 

 with rich dark brown and underlying markings of 

 blackish grey. 



It is said that these birds are easily tamed, and soon 

 become great pets, but they live a very short time in 

 captivity, chiefly through the difficulty in obtaining 

 sufficient sea water for them. 



