BLACK-AND-WHITE BIRDS. 31 



have the same habit of lining the rocky ledges, their 

 dark backs towards the rock and their white breasts 

 towards the sea. They resemble the Guillemots in 

 their rapid, headlong flight, in their habits of sitting 

 in the water in flocks at the clifl'-foot, and in diving 

 and propelling themselves under water in chase of 

 flsh. They have also similarly unearthly cries — 

 low, guttural sounds with something human in their 

 quality. The large, razor-like bill, however, serves 

 at once to distinguish the Razorbill from the Guille- 

 mot or any other cliff'-breeder ; and when the birds 

 are floating on the water their sharply cocked tails 

 serve as a further distinguishing mark. 



COMMON GUILLEMOT— 18 inches ; long, pointed, black 



bill. 

 PUFFIN — 13 inches ; blue, yellow, and red bill ; white face ; 



blight-red legs and feet. 



COMMON GUILLEMOT.— Plate 16. 18 inches. 

 To any but a close observer the Common Guillemot 

 will appear to be a black-and-white bird. In reality 

 the head, neck, and upper parts are of a very dark 

 brown, the under parts and a narrow bar across 

 the wings being white. The legs and feet are of 

 an olive colour, and the latter are webbed. The 

 hill is black, loncj, straight, and sharply pointed. 

 Resident. 



Egg. — 1, pear-shaped, extremely variable in 

 colouring, the commonest, perliaps, being pale to 

 bright green in the ground, blotched, scrolled, and 

 spotted with black or dark reddish-brown ; some 

 are whitish in the ground-colour, with or without 



