BRITAIN'S BIRDS AND 

 THEIR NESTS. 



ORDER, ALC^ (AUKS); 



Family, ALCID^ (Only Family) ; 



Subfamily, FRATERCULIN^E (Puffins). 



THE PUFFIN 



(Fratercula arctica). 



Plate 2. 



Of all our sea-fowl, one of the most delightful to watch, 

 and certainly the most amusing, is the Puffin — also 

 known by such names as ' Coulterneb "" and ' Sea-Parrot.' 

 The squat form, the waddling gait, and the white owlish 

 face combine to give the bird a very comical appearance ; 

 to these is added the crowning absurdity of a beak of 

 enormous size and extravagant colouring. The effect has 

 been aptly compared to that produced when a person 

 assumes a false nose of exaggerated proportions and gay 

 hue ; every action, every movement, every gesture is 

 accentuated and made ridiculous by the monstrous organ. 

 The analogy with a false nose holds still further, for, 

 most cm-ious point of all, the outer sheath of the beak 

 is assumed only for a time, and is then discarded. Each 

 autumn it is shed in plates, and the horny excrescences 

 on the face fall with it. Each spring it reappears in 

 all its brilliance. In winter, therefore, the bill is of more 



A 



