690 LITTLE AUK. 



and about Spitsbergen — from lat. 73° N. to the drift ice at 82° — 

 its numbers are almost incredible, and Mr. B. Leigh Smith observed 

 it as early as March on the open water off Franz- Josef Land; while 

 it is common on the west side of Novaya Zemlya, though not 

 known eastward of the Kara Sea. In Greenland large colonies 

 exist from lat. 68° northward nearly to 79°, beyond which Col. 

 Feilden did not observe this species, nor has it been recognized in 

 the Arctic regions to the westward of Baffin Bay ; and it is not found 

 in Bering Sea or the Pacific. In winter it ranges as far south as 

 New Jersey ; being well known to American fishermen as the ' Ice- 

 bird,' from its partiality to the vicinity of bergs &c. ; and even by 

 August 15th 1S84, I passed through a flock in the Gulf of St. 

 Lawrence, where, at that time, there happened to be an unusual 

 quantity of ice. 



The single egg is deposited in holes and tunnels under stones — 

 so far in that the Arctic foxes cannot reach it — or in cliffs up to 

 2,000 feet above sea-level ; it is of a pale greenish-blue colour, 

 sometimes faintly spotted and scrolled with red : average measure- 

 ments I '9 by I "25 in. Col. Feilden found the nestlings just hatched 

 on July 28th ; and subsequently noticed that the parents had their 

 cheeks distended with a reddish substance, consisting of immense 

 numbers of minute crustaceans, which were evidently food for the 

 young ; in winter the bird feeds on animal offal, and is then fond of 

 staying close to fishing-vessels at anchor. 



The adult has the beak leaden-black ; the irides hazel ; a small 

 white spot over the eye ; the head and upper parts chiefly black ; 

 chin and throat black in summer, white in winter, and mottled with 

 black and white in spring and autumn ; breast and belly white ; legs 

 and toes livid-brown, webs darker. Length S"5 in., wing 4*5 in. 

 The young bird resembles the adult in winter-plumage. Albino 

 and isabelline varieties are sometimes met with. 



In the Southern Hemisphere there is a genus of small oceanic 

 Petrels {Pelecano'idcs), the members of which bear a strong super- 

 ficial resemblance to the Little Auk in size, form, colour, and mode 

 of flight ; but on close examination, they may at once be recognized 

 by their tubular nostrils. 



