LITTLE AUK. 469 



THE LITTLE AUK, or Common Rotche, as it is also 

 called, though in its habits very similar to the Guillemots 

 and the true Auks, is only a winter visitor to the British 

 Islands, and is more frequently met with among those of 

 Orkney and Shetland than further south. Somewhat 

 intermediate in its characters between the Guillemots 

 and the Auks, it has been considered worthy of generic 

 distinction, and separated accordingly. 



Truly oceanic in its habits, and, unless forced by neces- 

 sity, rarely seen on land except in the breeding-season, this 

 species seldom makes its appearance on our coasts, but 

 with, or soon after, the stormy weather which usually fol- 

 lows each autumnal equinox, when they are forced by 

 violent and long-continuing winds to leave the rougher sea 

 and take shelter in land-locked bays, where they are easily 

 shot ; or, are not unfrequently driven while on wing over 

 the land itself, far from their natural marine haunts, to 

 situations where they are generally found either exhausted 

 or dead. Some occur almost every year. 



A remarkable instance of this sort occurred in the month 

 of October, 1841. Dr. Edward Clarke, of Hartlepool, sent 

 me word, that after a violent storm of wind from N.N.E. 

 which lasted several days, his attention was directed by 

 pilots and fishermen on the look-out to various flocks of 

 small black and white birds, then close in shore. There 

 were several hundreds of them, which were unknown to 

 these seafaring men, but which proved to be the Little 

 Auk. Many were obtained, five or six being killed at 

 each shot, the birds were so numerous. The same thing 

 happened at the same time at Redcar, on the Yorkshire 

 coast, but after two or three days, the wind abating, they 

 were seen no more. About the same time I heard from 

 various friends of other examples being taken in many 

 different counties, in Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, Es- 



