A BIRD WITH A BILL. 235 



in its usual position at the farther extremity, that was not upon a 

 layer of grass. I noticed this fact the more particularly since Au- 

 dubon especially states that no nest whatever is formed for the re- 

 ception of the egg. Without for a moment doubting the accuracy 

 of that great naturalist's observations, the present case is only ad- 

 ditional proof of the extent to which the birds' habits are influenced 

 by circumstances ; the position of nests, the number of eggs, etc., 

 varying much, and the food changing in a measure with every 

 change of locality. The eggs measure two and a half inches in 

 length, by one and three-fourths in greatest diameter, varying very 

 little from this standard ; in shape, which is rather rounded ovate, 

 they differ in being more or less obtuse at the smaller end. The 

 greatest diameter is nearly opposite the middle. The shell is usu- 

 ally more or less granulated, but differs much in the extent of the gran- 

 ulation. The color is white or whitish, varying from nearly pure to 

 a brownish hue, the latter color being in the shell, and not caused 

 by soiling or discoloration. They are marked with obsolete, almost 

 imperceptible dots, spots, and lines of light purplish, mostly con- 

 centrated into a ring around the large end. There are sometimes 

 a few irregular splashes of very light yellowish brown. Audubon is 

 clearly in error when he states that they are simply 'pure white.' 

 At that date (July 25) they all, with few exceptions contained 

 young about to be hatched." 



A great trick of the Labradorians is to get a greenhorn to stick 

 his hand into one of the burrows of this bird when the bird is sup- 

 posed to be within. If you carefully examine the bill — of horn, 

 nearly two inches in length and about the same in height — one will 

 see that a most alarming species of forceps may be thus put in mo- 

 tion, and, as the bird is one of the fiercest of its kind, can readily 

 imagine why the victim never repeats the experiment. 



The number of birds that I saw on Greenley Island was simply 

 immense, and could easily have been a multiple, and not a small 

 one, of ten thousand. I have often seen the water covered with a 

 clustered flock, all engaged in making a hoarse, rasping sound, not 

 unlike the filing of a saw; this is also done both by the "murre," 

 and the " turre," and at such times, which ever species is present, 



