12 BRITAIN'S BIRDS AND THEIR NESTS. 



THE BLACK GUILLEMOT 



(Uria grylle). 



The Black Guillemot and its near allies differ in so 

 many respects from the Common Guillemot that they 

 are often considered to be a genus by themselves. Our 

 species is about a foot in length, and in breeding 

 plximage is chiefly black with a greenish gloss, but 

 has a large white patch on each wing. The legs are 

 vermilion. In the winter plumage white predominates. 

 It breeds locally on the west coast of Scotland, in Ireland, 

 and on the Isle of Man, and perhaps did so formerly on 

 both sides of England. Its chief British resorts, however, 

 are in the Scottish isles. The Black Guillemot, with the 

 other members of its group, differs from other Auks in 

 having a clutch of two eggs. In most cases they are 

 laid in the crevices of cliffs. They are usually white with 

 black and grayish markings, but there is considerable 

 variation. 



