136 BRITISH: SHA BIRDS. 
rich black dress, glossed with green, except a 
patch of white on the wings; in winter it is 
uniformly mottled black and white; the legs and 
feet are bright coral red. With us the Black 
Guillemot is strictly marine in its haunts, but in 
Spitzbergen it was found breeding more than a 
mile inland—a habit very different from any it 
displays with us. In its actions it very closely 
resembles its larger allies. Like them it is an 
expert diver—I have seen it dive repeatedly at 
the flash of a gun, and thus escape the shot. 
It is, on the whole, a more trustful bird, often 
permitting a near approach, and frequently re- 
maining on the surface until the boat is about to 
pass over it, when it will dive and reappear quite 
unconcernedly a short distance away out of danger. 
This Guillemot often feeds quite close in shore. 
At St. Kilda I used to see parties of this species 
every evening, fishing under the cliffs; but, on 
the other hand, I have often met with them search- 
ing for food many miles from land. The Black 
Guillemot is nothing near so gregarious as the 
Common Guillemot, nor does it appear to wander 
so far from its breeding places to feed. It is 
partially nocturnal in its habits in summer, feeding 
well into the dusk, and during winter seldom comes 
upon the land, sleeping out at sea. Although capable 
of flying swiftly, it always prefers to escape danger 
by diving ; it swims lightly, usually sitting high in 
the water, but it has the power of sinking itself 
