462 ALCAD^E. 



Lincolnshire, Yorkshire, and Durham, on the east coast, 

 and in Cornwall and Wales in the south. 



In the fourth part of his Manual, page 577, M. Tem- 

 minck says, "MM. Faber et Graba, qui ont sejourne en 

 Islande et & Feroe, assurent que le Guillemot bridg et celui 

 a gros bee ne sont que dee varietes du Guillemot d capu- 

 cJwn (Uria troile). Je suis tres-porte k admettre leur 

 opinion, basee sur des observations faites sur les lieux par 

 des juges competens. Toutefois, il se pourrait que ses 

 races voisines fusserit melees et confondues exactement par 

 les memes causes et de la meme maniere que celles des 

 Corvus corax et leucophceus ; Comix et Corone ; Monedula 

 et Spermogulus; Fringilla domestica et cisalpina" etc. 



In reference to the first part of this paragraph, it may 

 be stated, that since the true specific distinctions of Brun- 

 nich's Guillemot have been pointed out, namely, the form 

 and greater size of the anterior portion of the bill, and the 

 broad light-coloured stripe along the posterior half of the 

 margin of the upper mandible, no one that I am aware 

 of has considered it to be only a variety ; and if it is in- 

 tended that the claims of the Bridled Guillemot to be 

 ranked as a species, are equal to that of the Brunnichii, 

 then will both be entitled to be considered as species and 

 not as varieties. 



The meaning of the latter part of the paragraph is to me 

 also somewhat doubtful ; but that the Ringed Guillemot is 

 not a hybrid produced between the Common Guillemot and 

 the Brunnichii, seems proved by two circumstances ; first, 

 that the beak of the Ringed Guillemot is even rather more 

 slender than that of the Common Guillemot, which would 

 scarcely be expected to happen if the Brunnich's Guillemot 

 were one of the parents ; and secondly, by the well-known 

 fact that the Ringed Guillemots are abundantly fertile, 

 breeding by themselves. 



