30 LUKDY ISLAND. 



a manner that they appear to support the short tail, 

 the broad feet sticking out behind. The whole of the 

 upper plumage is black ; the face, sides of the head, 

 and under parts, pure white, except that a black collar 

 passes round the throat. These are known by the 

 fishermen as sea parrots or coulternebs ; but are more 

 generally designated in books as puffins. 



The other species is larger, being nearly as big in 

 the body as a duck, but shorter in the neck. The 

 beak is formed on the same model, but is more 

 lengthened ; and it, as well as the feet, is black. The 

 general proportions are more those of ordinary birds ; 

 and though the distribution of the hues of the plum- 

 age, black and white, is nearly the same as in the 

 former species, the black, covering the whole head and 

 neck, combines, with the other differences I have men- 

 tioned, to render the discrimination of one from the 

 other easy, even at a great distance. This is the 

 razor-billed auk. 



These two species furnish the majority of the indi- 

 vidual birds that are congregated just here. But 

 when we get round yonder point we shall open the 

 haunts of several other kinds, almost as innumerable 

 as these. It must not, however, be supposed that 

 they keep their localities so strictly as not to inter- 

 mingle in any degree. From the point where we stand, 

 we may with a little care be able to discern indi- 

 viduals of all the kinds, more or less numerous. The 

 different species of gulls, in particular, amounting to 

 four or five, axe conspicuous for their long pointed 



