482 THE DIVING BIRDS — PYGOPODES. 



informed by letter — at Aiguilles d'Etretat. This species, to the knowledge of 

 the writer, M. Hardy, has twice been found breeding in the last-named locality. It 

 was nesting in holes in the rocks' on the border of the sea, in company with the 

 troile. It laid a single egg, very pyriform, of a brownish white, with a few spots of 

 ashy-gray and sinuous zigzag lines of mingled red and brownish black. In other 

 respects the egg of this species varies as much as do those of the troile. They vary 

 in length from 3.15 to 3.35 inches, and in breadth from 1.94 to 2.04. These measure- 

 ments differ from those of Dr. Bryant, who gives 3.10 as the maximum length, and 

 1.96 as the greatest breadth. M. Gerbe, in a note, referring to the views of Falkl- 

 and Graba as to the specific unity of troile, ringvia, and lomvia, adds that Thiene- 

 mann, who also visited the same countries, is of an entirely different opinion. He 

 considers these three forms as three distinct species; and while, on this point) 

 the opinions of ornithologists remain very much divided, M. Gerbe states that — so 

 far as this form is concerned — if it is not a good species, it is certainly a well-marked 

 race. Thienemann founded his belief in the diversity of these species on the con- 

 stant differences in their eggs; and Mr. Proctor, of Durham, England, who has vis- 

 ited the breeding-places of these birds in Iceland, agrees with Thienemann entirely. 

 He visited Grimsey, an island forty miles north of Iceland, where he found these 

 three forms breeding on the rocks. They were regarded by all the inhabitants as 

 three entirely distinct birds. Brunnich's Guillemot was the most numerous, and was 

 called Stutnefia. The troile was next in point of numbers, and was known as Lang- 

 nefia. The Pinged Guillemot was the least numerous, and was called Hring langnefia. 

 The eggs of all three kinds were obtained ; and the distinctions between them were 

 well known to the fishermen, who separated them, when put together, without diffi- 

 culty or hesitation. The eggs of the ringvia were the most rare, less from the smaller 

 number of the parent birds than from the circumstances of their breeding away from 

 the others, far lower down on the precipitous ledges, where they were inaccessible 

 from below, and more difficult to obtain by those lowered down from above. The 

 Common Guillemot and the Ringed do not breed together, but each keeps by itself. 



I attach far more importance to the fact that these forms, in nesting, appear thus 

 to keep exclusively by themselves, than to the supposed differences in eggs, on which, 

 as evidence of specific separation, we cannot safely rely. Like the eggs of the Arctic, 

 Common, and Roseate Terns, those of the three forms vary so much, and appear 

 to run into such corresponding variations, that no certain rule, in my judgment, is 

 yet possible. On the other hand, the careful separation of breeding-places is a more 

 sure sign of specific demarcation. All the eggs that I have ever seen of this variety 

 (ringvia) are uniformly large, have a constant white ground, and are marked with 

 red and brown lines, long, slender, and irregular. Dr. Bryant's experience was, how- 

 ever, different, as we have seen. 



According to Professor Reinhardt, the Uria ringvia, is found in Greenland, but is 

 a very rare bird there. Captain Elmes found it breeding on the Island of Berneiav. 

 one of the outer Hebrides. It was in company with the more abundant Uria troile, 

 and was, in proportion to the latter, as one to ten or twelve, which corresponds with 

 the observations of other persons on Handa Island and Ailsa Craig. He took several 

 of the eggs on each of which lie actually saw one of the Ringed Guillemots sitting, 

 and found that they vary as much as the others, though more were marked with 

 streaks than with blotches. 



This bird is comparatively rare on the New England coast, but has been met with 

 in winter, and is more abundant off the more easterly portions of the coast of Maine 

 than elsewhere. 



