THE RAZORBILL AND GUILLEMOT 27 



The term " shuffle," it may be remarked parenthetically, is quite 

 appropriately applied to the guillemot's mode of progression on land 

 and equally to the razorbill's. Both walk, and also stand, on the 

 metatarsus as well as the toes, that is, on the whole sole of the foot, 

 instead of, as in the case of most birds, on the toes only ; or, in less 

 exact language, the guillemot and razorbill walk on the foot and 

 so-called " shank " the two together constituting what corresponds to 

 the mammalian foot, from the lower set of ankle-bones to the toes 

 (Vol. I. p. 14, Fig. 1). Occasionally both species hop, but still alight 

 on the metatarsus and toes. They have been seen sometimes to raise 

 themselves up on the toes, and both walk and run in this attitude. 1 

 According to Dr. Saxby, who was a good observer, the young guillemots 

 run and stand upon the toes ; it is only as they grow older that they 

 rest on the metatarsi as well. 2 This is a most interesting fact, and 

 tends to show the adult bird's mode of progression is of comparatively 

 recent date, but as to how it arose I can form no idea. 



The second scene illustrates the affection shown by the parents 

 for the young, which takes forms similar to the caresses of one sex by 

 the other already described : " After a while it (the young guillemot) 

 comes out (from under its mother's wing), and the mother, as she 

 stands by it, just stirs or nibbles the feathers of its face with the end 

 of her bill an action which has all the spirit of wiping a child's face 

 or nose. The father now walks up, stops in front of the chick, bends 

 down its head and jodels. Then it lifts it up and jodels more loudly ; 

 then, stopping again, preens the chick's head and face a little with the 

 point of its bill, and nibbles at it affectionately." The chick then 

 makes a little excursion along the ledge by itself, and then toddles 

 back to its admiring parents, to be nibbled at and bowed and jodelled 



over once more. 3 



How young guillemots and razorbills quit the cliffs for the sea is 

 a question about which there is still some difference of opinion. When 



1 E. Selous, Bird Watching, p. 195. 



2 Birds of Shetland, p. 248. 



3 Bird Watcher in the Shetlands, p. 178. 



