68o RAZOR-BILT,. 



This Auk breeds in the Faeroes and in Iceland, and on the 

 cliffs of Scandinavia up to 69'^ N. lat. ; it also appears to reach 

 Jan Mayen, but is unknown on Spitsbergen. Southward it is found 

 in summer down to Brittany; while in winter it goes up the 

 Mediterranean to the Adriatic and Malta, though the majority keep 

 well out in tlie Atlantic as far as the Canarie=, unless driven 

 into bays by stormy weather. It also resorts to the west coast of 

 Greenland up to about lat. 70°, as well as to the shores of Labrador, 

 the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and the Bay of Fundy ; but it seldom 

 attains the American side of Davis Strait, and has not been met 

 with in the Arctic waters to the westward ; nor is there any proof 

 of its occurrence in the Pacific. 



The Razor-bill deposits a single egg, choosing, if possible, some 

 crevice, or at least an over-hung ledge ; though in default of these 

 it will make use of an open shelf, like a Guillemot. When brooding 

 it couches along — not across — the egg, its mate often standing near ; 

 and both sexes incubate, though the male may be seen to bring food 

 to the sitting female. The eggs, often laid by the middle of May, 

 are not so pear-shaped as those of the Guillemot and seldom show 

 the faintest tinge of green ; they are usually white or pale chocolate- 

 brown, blotched and often zoned with mahogany-colour or black : 

 average measurements 2*8 by 1*9 in. On holding the empty shell 

 against the light the inside lining-membrane shows green: whereas 

 in that of the Guillemot it appears to be yelloiuish-zvhite, except 

 when overpowered by the green of the shell itself. The young 

 flutter from the rocks to the sea, or are taken by the neck and 

 carried down by the parents ; they are at first very loth to follow 

 the old bird in diving, and remain crying plaintively on the surface 

 of the water. The food consists of small fish (which are carried 

 diagonally in the bill — not at right angles, as by the Puffin) and 

 crustaceans. The Razor-bill utters a peculiar grunting or groaning, 

 especially when sitting ; on the water it may be distinguished from 

 the Guillemot, at a distance, by its upturned tail. 



The adult (figured on the right) is chiefly greenish-black above, 

 deep brown on the throat, and white below ; in winter the upper 

 parts lose the greenish gloss, and the throat, fore-neck and cheeks 

 are white. Length 17 in., wing 7*5. A young bird killed in De- 

 cember (central figure) has the bill smooth and black without any 

 white groove on either mandible, and shows only a faint white line 

 from the top of the bill to the eye ; its plumage resembles that 

 of the adult in winter. I do not think that breeding takes place 

 until the bird is nearly two years old. 



