214 



THE COMMON GUILLEMOT. 



Una trotte. 



(PLUMAGE OF THE WINTER.) 

 PLATE XIII. 



Colymbus troile, Linn. -Guillemot a capuchin, Tetnm* Guil- 

 lemot, or Foolish Guillemot of British authors. Colymbus 

 minor, Gmd. -Lesser Guillemot, youny and winter plumage. 



THIS is the only one of the British Guillemots that 

 can be called common or abundant, the others being 

 comparatively rare, and some only straggling visi- 

 tants; it is distributed all around our islands, and 

 at any season small parties may be seen a short dis- 

 tance from our coasts. While near their breeding 

 places, at the proper season, they assemble in thou- 

 sands, at times blackening the sea. They breed on 

 the precipitous cliffs of the coast, or on the rocky 

 islands, where they assemble in spring, and select 

 ledges of rock for themselves, separate from the 

 razor-bills and gulls which nestle on the same pre- 

 cipice, and a whole colony of Guillemots may be 

 perceived ranged in rows, without a single bird of 

 another kind among them. Any intrusion, or a 

 shot fired, causes them ta stream down in thousands 



