THE AUKS 285 



covered in a soft loose coat of feathers above the thick down; this regu- 

 lar wing-exercising begins earlier in precocious individuals. The 

 rapidly growing chick becomes restless and may wander some distance 

 along a ledge or within the confines of the rocky guillemot plateau. 

 It has yet to be discovered whether or not, at this period of about 

 two weeks of age, the chick is fed less often ; there is no evidence that 

 this is so, but rather the contrary, since there always seems to be an 

 abundance of fish being brought in by the adults which, as already 

 suggested, are not necessarily, in the case of the guillemot, the parents 

 of the chick which they are seen to feed. The young bird has now a 

 louder and more insistent call, and appears more and more dissatisfied 

 with its confinement on the cliffs. These calls seem to excite less those 

 adults remaining on the ledges with them, than those on the sea below. 

 It is generally presumed, but not scientifically proven, that it is the 

 parents which call to the young bird from the sea. More patient 

 observation is needed to clear up this point, which could only be done 

 by colour-marking the adults and young. It is reasonable to suppose 

 however, that as only one, or at most two, adults seem to answer the 

 call of one fledgeling from the cliffs, there is definite voice-recognition 

 at this distance. When at last the young chick makes the leap into the 

 air and flutters down on a long plane to the water it is claimed by one, 

 or by a pair, of adults. These eventually convoy the fledgeling away to 

 sea. 



The flight of the young chick from cliff" to sea usually takes place 

 at night or early in the morning, but has been observed during other 

 hours of the day also. When it occurs in rough weather, with heavy 

 seas breaking on the rocks and shallows below the cliffs, the young 

 bird may have a difficult passage to get clear. But even when it strikes 

 the rocks, it is seldom seriously hurt. It bounces off" and continues to 

 scramble and struggle towards the sea. It is sometimes engulfed by 

 a heavy surf, but if so it immediately dives, swimming agilely forward, 

 squeaking anxiously each time it reaches the surface for a moment, 

 while a little farther offshore the adult continues to call encouragingly 

 as it swims towards the chick. 



The arrival of the chick upon the water excites the whole group 

 of adults in the immediate vicinity. They may make short dives towards 

 the young bird as it swims under water. They may surround it when 

 it comes to the surface, and they may even make mock attacks, forcing 

 it to submerge for a moment. (Contrast this excitement of the adult 

 cliff'-breeding auks over the fledgeling with the complete indifference 



