COMMON GUILLEMOT. 215 



to the water, their lengthened form, and continued 

 multitudinous flight, giving them the appearance of 

 a line. Some will however remain, the more anxi- 

 ous for their young, and we have seen repeated 

 shots fired without effect at hirds who would merely 

 look over the ledge, or creep farther back out of 

 harm's way. The young are said to be carried 

 down to the water by the parents ; this, we believe, 

 has never been seen, but at the same time birds 

 have been so often found in the sea, of an age so 

 tender, as would lead observers to believe that they 

 could not have reached it without assistance. After 

 incubation, the broods scatter over the ocean and 

 form the small parties which are at other times to 

 be seen at sea. They frequent firths, and seem to 

 float in and out with the tide, a few approaching 

 pretty near the shore. In the open seal they are 

 easily approached within shot with a boat ; but 

 dive at the flash, and do not readily take wing. 

 Some of them lose their shyness entirely and enter 

 the harbours ; during last winter (1842-43) we saw 

 several specimens in the open harbour of Newhaven 

 (Firth of Forth), swimming and diving among the 

 fishermen's boats, and allowing themselves to be 

 pursued by boys ; and we understood that several 

 birds came daily in, diving for the young fish that 

 had resorted to a calmer part of the sea, or after the 

 refuse from the fishing-boats. 



The Common Guillemot is found around all our 

 coasts to the Shetland and Orkney Isles, and also 

 around the shores of Temperate Europe, breeding in 



