98 



MUSEUM OF ANIMATED NATURE. 



[Puffins. 



Family ALCADM (AUKS. GUILLEMOTS, 

 and PUFFINS). 



The AlcadtB are equally well adapted for the water 

 as the Colymbidae ; indeed, the power of the winjp 

 u organs of flight is more circumscribe J, and in 

 one species they are useful only as paddles for 

 assisting in aquatic progression. The legs are 

 extremely short, but iwwerl'ul, placed posteriorly, 

 so that in resting on the rocks the birds assume an 

 upright attitude, the whole of the tarsus as well as 

 the toes being applied to the surface. The toes are 

 usually only three in number, and fully webbed; 

 when the hind-toe exists it is in a rudimentary 

 condition. The bill varies in form in the different 

 genera; but is generally compressed, and often 

 grooved at the sides. Unlike the Colymbidae, the 

 AlcadtB are strictly oceanic, never resorting to fresh 

 water. Fishes, Crustacea, and other marine produc- 

 tions, constitute their food. They are natives of the 

 northern hemisphere, the Pens;uins (Spheniscida;, 

 Bonap.) taking their place in the southern. 



2019. — ^The Foolish Guillemot 

 ( Una Troile). In the genus Una the bill is 

 moderate, robust, straight, acute, and compressed ; j 

 nostrils basal ; the limbs short, the tarsi alone 

 appearing to emerge from the body ; tail very 

 thort. Fig. 2020 represents the Bill of the Guille- 

 mot ; Fig. 2021, the Foot. 



The Foolish Guillemot, so called from suffering 

 itself to be taken rather than quit the single egg 

 over which it broods, is found in the Arctic seas of 

 the Old and New World ; in winter the immense 

 flocks which have left their breeding places, for 

 they are migratory in their habits, pass along the 

 coasts of Norway and England^ Holland, and France, 

 and abound in the Baltic. According to Nuttall, 

 the great body of American birds of this species 

 take their course along the whole coast of Hudson's 

 Bay. Labrador, and Newfoundland, and winter in 

 the Bay of Fundy. In spring the flocks which were 

 scattered over the bays, gulfs, and seas of the 

 temperate latitudes, where food was abundant, re- 

 turn to their old breeding haunts. In our island 

 they make their appearance towards the end of 

 March or the beginning of April, and tenant in 

 myriads the Orkneys, the Bass Rock, the isolated 



Sillars of trap-rock in the Farn Islands, the cliffs of 

 carborough, and the Needles and cliffs of the Isle 

 of Wight, as well as other places. Here, associated 

 with razor-bills, puffins, and other sea-fowl, they 

 cover the ledges of the precipitous rocks, ranged in 

 tiers ; the guillemots in crowded rows, each female 

 sitting in an upright position on her own egg, which 

 she has deposited on the narrow naked ledge ; all 

 living in harmony together ; the appearance made 

 by the congregated multitude in a dense mass is 

 very curious. Incubation lasts a month ; the young, 

 which are at first clad in a thick down, of a blackish 

 grey colour above, white beneath, are plentifully 

 supplied with young herrings, sprats, and other fish, 

 till in the course of five or six weeks they acquire 

 their plumage, and, taking to the water, depend 

 upon their own exertions. The egg is of a pale 

 green, stained with black and umber-brown. 



In the autumn the guillemots leave the rocks, and 

 betake themselves entirely to the ocean, where the 

 old birds undergo a moult, in which the black of 

 the throat and sides of the neck is exchanged for 

 ■white, the black being reassumed the following 

 spring. At this time, from the loss of so many of 

 the quill-feathers, they are often for a short time 

 unable to fly ; but as they are out at sea, and dive 

 on the approach of danger with astonishing quick- 

 ness, this is of little consequence. The flocks now 

 gradually pass southwards, following the shoals of 

 fishes which leave our coasts, and at length reach 

 the Mediterranean and the coast of Sicily, where 

 they feast upon the anchovy and sardine. On the 

 other hand, a few stragglers from the polar circle 

 visit the friths of Scotland, which appear to be 

 the extent of their southern migration. The flight 

 of the guillemot is sharp and rapid, at a low degree 

 of elevation, but not of long duration. In its summer 

 dress the head and neck of this bird are black, and 

 the feathers of a velvety texture ; the upper surface 

 is sooty black ; the under plumage white ; bill and 

 legs black. Length fifteen inches. 



In the young of the year the black of the upper 

 parts is clouded with ash colour ; ashy brown pre- 

 dominates on the lower part of the neck ; and the 

 white of the lower parts is not so pure. 



2022.— The Black Guillemot 



(Uria Grylie). The Black Guillemot inhabits the 

 same range of countries as the preceding species, 

 and migrates southwards in winter along the borders 

 of the ocean. It is rare on the English coast, but 

 breeds abundantly in the Orkney and Shetland Isles, 

 on the ledges of the rocks, and, according to Selby, 

 Gould, and others, lays a single egg of a greyish 

 white speckled with black and dusky grey. Both 



Nuttall and Audubon, however, affirm that in the 

 northern districts of America this species lays three 

 eggs. "On several occasions," says the latter ob- 

 server, " at Labrador some of my party and myself 

 saw several black guillemots sitting on eggs, in the 

 same fissure of a rock, where every bird had three 

 eggs under it" For the reception of these eggs, 

 according to the same authority, the birds raise a 

 sort of nest or fabric of pebbles to the height of two 

 or three inches, in order that the water trickling 

 through the fissures and recesses of the rock may 

 not reach the eggs. 



Dr. Richardson states that this species abounds in 

 the Arctic seas and straits from Melville Island down 

 to Hudson's Bay, and remains, though in diminished 

 numbers, during winter in the pools of open water, 

 which occur, even in high latitudes, among the floes 

 of ice. In summer the colour of this species is 

 black, with a white band across the wings. In 

 winter the old birds have the cheeks, throat, and all 

 the under plumage pure white ; these parts ac- 

 quiring at tne vernal moult the sooty black which 

 remains during the summer. 



2023.— The Great Auk 



(Alca impamis). The true Auks are strictly oceanic 

 birds, never leaving the water, except for the purpose 

 of incubation. They breed, associated together in 

 vast flocks, on the ledges of precipices, in caverns, 

 and deep fissures. They dive with great ease, and 

 using their wings, pursue their finny prey, deep below 

 the surface, with wonderful rapidity. The young are 

 fed from the crops of the parents, even some time after 

 they leave their " rocky lair," and swim feariessly 

 amidst the waves. Awkward as the movements of 

 these birds are on shore, they shuffle along with 

 considerable dispatch. The bill is deep, compressed, 

 and cultrated; the upper mandible arched and 

 hooked ; the nostrils are nearly hidden by the 

 feathers of the forehead ; the wings short. 



In the Great Auk the wings are so reduced as to 

 be incapable of serving the purpose of flight, but 

 they are most efficient paddles, aiding its progress 

 beneath the water. This fine species is a native of 

 the Arctic circle ; its visits to the northern islands 

 of Scotland are very rare ; Dr. Fleming gives the 

 account of one which was taken alive at St. Kilda 

 in 1822. And one was ineffectually chased by 

 Bullock, during his tour to the northern isles, 1813, 

 who followed in a six-oared boat, and found himself, 

 despite the exertions of the men, completely dis- 

 tanced. It was ultimately shot, allowing the boat- 

 men, to whom it appeared indifferent, to approach 

 within gun range. The one described by Dr. 

 Fleming swam under water with a long and heavy 

 cord tied to its leg, making way with extraordinary 

 rapidity. The great auk is frequent about the 

 coasts of Norway and Iceland, but still more so 

 around the icy shores of Greenland and Spitzbergen, 

 where it breeds in tha clefts and caverns of rocks, 

 above the highest tides. The female lays a single 

 egg, as large as that of a swan, of a whitish yellow 

 marked with numerous lines and strokes of black. 



Fish and various Crustacea constitute the food of 

 this species ; its favourite prey is said to be the 

 lump-fish (Cyclopterus lurapus). The great auk 

 measures nearly three feet in length. The upper 

 plumage is deep black, w ith the exception of a large 

 patch of white on the forehead and around the eyes, 

 and a slight band of white on the wing; under 

 plumage white ; bill and legs dull black. In winter 

 the cheeks, throat, fore-part and sides of the neck 

 are white. 



2021.— The Razor-bill Auk 



{Alca Tarda). In this species the wings are capable 

 of short but rapid flight ; they are also used as oars 

 in the water. The Razor-bill is common in tlie 

 higher latitudes of the northern, and plentiful on 

 the rocky coasts of our island, where it breeds with 

 guillemots and puffins ; it tenants the Needles and 

 adjacent cliffs of the Isle of Wight, and the eggs, 

 which are esteemed a delicacy, are taken in great 

 numbers. As the chalk-cliffs there are six hundred 

 feet in elevation, the islanders reach them from 

 above by descending the perpendicular cliffs much 

 in the same perilous manner as is practised by the 

 Norwegians and hardy natives of the Feroe Islands. 

 They drive a large stake, or bar of iron, into the top 

 of the cliff, and to this they fasten astrongrope, with 

 a stick put crosswise at the end, for the support of 

 the adventurer, who is lowered down the front of 

 the horrid precipice. If his object is to secure the 

 eggs only, he shouts to scare away the birds, which 

 rise in countless numbers ; but if he wishes to secure 

 the birds, for the sake of the feathers, he goes to 

 work in silence, and either catches them in their 

 holes, or knocks them down with a stick as they fly 

 out ; the soft feathers are valuable, and find a ready 

 market; the flesh is worthless, but is used by the 

 fishermen as baits for crab-pots, &c. The same 

 mode is practised in the Isle of Man. On the coast 

 of Labrador thousands of these birds are killed for 



the sake of the breast-feathers, which are close, 

 warm, and elastic ; and the eggs are collected in 

 incredible multitudes. Each female, however, only 

 lays one egg, large in proportion, and pointed, of a 

 yellowish white blotcJied with dark Drown. The 

 razor-bill is fifteen inches long. The head, neck, 

 and upper plumage are black, with a distinct white 

 line from the beak to the eye, and a narrow bar 

 across the wings ; under parts white ; bill black, 

 with a white band down the sides of each mandible ; 

 legs black. In winter the tliroat and fore-part of 

 the neck are white. 



2025, 2026.— The Puffin or Coulterneb 



(Mormon Fratercula, Temm.). Fratercula arctica, 

 Brisson ; Alca arctica, Linn. ; Mormon arcticus, 

 Illiger. 



In this genus the bill is short, nearly as deep as 

 long, and very compressed, the edge of the upper 

 mandible being thin and sharp; the nostrils are 

 slits on the border of the upper mandible near the 

 base ; the sides are marked by oblique ridges and 

 furrows, and a loose puckered skin surrounds the 

 corners of the mouth. Two horny appendages are 

 placed on the eyelids ; the smaller one above, the 

 larger beneath the eye. 



In its general form and habits the puffin resembles 

 the guillemot and razor-bill : it has the same thick 

 rounded contour, the same address in the water, and 

 the same rapid flight The puffin is extensively 

 spread through the Arctic circle, whence it migrates 

 southwards in winter. It is a native of our islands, 

 visiting us from the south about the middle of April, 

 and departing for the coasts of Spai:'. and Italy in 

 August. It is common on various parts of our 

 shores; is numerous at the Needles and cliffs of 

 the Isle of Wight, and upon Priestholm Island, off 

 the coast of Anglesea; many resort to the Farn 

 Islands. In the latter place, according to Mr. 

 Selby, there being no rabbits, the burrows of which 

 it can usurp, it selects such spots as are covered 

 with a stratum of vegetable mould, and digs a 

 burrow for itself in which to incubate. The puffins 

 " commence this operation about the first week of 

 May, and the hole is generally excavated to the 

 depth of three feet, often in a curving direction, and 

 occasionally with two entrances. When engaged 

 in digging, which is principally performed by the 

 males, they are sometimes so intent upon their work 

 as to admit of being taken by the hand ; and the 

 same may also be done during incubation. At this 

 period I have frequently obtained specimens by 

 thrusting my arm into the burrow, though at the 

 risk of receiving a bite from the powerful sharp- 

 edged bill of the old bird. At the farther end of 

 this hole the single egg is deposited, which in size 

 nearly equals that of a pullet." On rocky coasts, 

 as the cliffs of the Isle of Wight, the puffin selects 

 the crevices and fissured recesses of the precipice 

 for its breeding retreat. The young are at first 

 covered with blackish down, and in about a month 

 are sufficiently plumed to follow their parents to 

 sea. The puffin is an admirable diver : it may be 

 often seen perched on the ledge of a bold precipice 

 peering with its keen eyes into the glassy water 

 below, — suddenly, it throws itself headlong into the 

 abyss, cleaving the waves, which sparkle as they 

 close over it. Soon, however, it reappears, laden 

 with a row of sprats, its favourite food, which hang 

 from the bill, their heads being secured between 

 the mandibles; and now, taking a curved sweep 

 upwards, it bears them to its young. 



In the puffin, the crown of the head, the upper 

 parts of the body, and a collar round the neck are 

 black ; the cheeks pearl-grey ; the horny append- 

 ages to the eyelids leaden-grey; the bill, deeply 

 furrowed, is bluish grey at the base, the middle 

 being rich orange-red, which deepens into fine red I 

 at the tip ; legs orange red. Length thirteen inches. 

 The young have the beak small and smooth, and of 

 a dull yellow; and the general plumage more 

 dusky. 



2027.— The Little Auk 



{Mergulus mdanoleucus, Ray). Uria alle, Temm. ; 

 Alca alle, Linn. ; Rotch and Sea-Dove, Provincial. 



This active little bird is intermediate between the 

 auks and guillemots; the bill is not so long and 

 pointed as in the latter, yet not compressed and 

 furrowed as in the former; it is short, stout, and 

 broader than deep at the base. Tlie Little Auk is 

 a native of the Arctic circle, and is recognised as a 

 winter visitor to the coasts of Scotland : Mr. Selby 

 suggests that a few may perhaps breed upon the 

 extreme rocky islands of the north of that part of 

 our country, but of this we have no definite inform- 

 ation ; on the coasts of England it is rarely seen, 

 and then only when driven by storms and adverse 

 winds from its northern home. It abounds on the 

 bleak coasts of Greenland and Spitzbergen, and 

 thousands have been seen at Melville Island. When 

 the floes of ice are broken up by the wind, myriad* 

 of these birds may be seen riding on the waves 



