310 THE NESTS AND EGGS OF BRITISH BIRDS. 

 Family ALCID^E. Genus URIA. 



COMMON GUILLEMOT. 



URIA TROILE (Linnceus). 

 Single Brooded. Laying season, May and June. 



BRITISH BREEDING AREA : The Common Guillemot 

 is generally and abundantly distributed along most of 

 the rocky coasts of the British Islands, from the Scilly 

 Isles and the Isle of Wight in the south, to the Orkneys 

 and Shetlands in the north ; from the Flamborough 

 cliffs and the Fame Islands in the east, to the Outer 

 Hebrides, St. Kilda, and the Blaskets in the west. It 

 is, however, as far as my experience goes, much more 

 abundant in the north than in the south, and frequents 

 sandstone cliffs from necessity rather than choice. 



BREEDING HABITS : The Guillemot, most familiar of 

 all our rock fowl, is a resident in our islands, but subject 

 to much local movement when the breeding season is 

 over. It is gregarious during the nesting season, some 

 of its colonies being densely packed. Where the cliffs 

 are extensive the Guillemots are more scattered, but 

 where suitable crags are few the birds mass together in 

 enormous numbers, as, for instance, at the Pinnacles on 

 the Fame Islands. Cliffs with plenty of ledges and 

 hollows are the favourite nesting-places. The bird may 

 doubtless pair for life, and certain haunts are returned 

 to year by year. The Guillemot is no nest-builder, nor 

 does it make provision in any way whatever for the 

 reception of its egg. This is deposited on any suitable 

 ledge in any available hollow, where it can be tolerably 

 safe from rolling over, or the parent bird can find stand- 

 ing room to incubate it. The Guillemot is not very 

 demonstrative at the breeding-place, usually flying down 



