THE GUILLEMOTS. 491 



von Wright, " (and this is probahly the case with all the 

 grehes and divers), takes place in an upright position in the 

 water ; and so far as I have been able to observe, in such 

 manner, that the male is behind the back of the female/' 



The latter forms her nest near to the water, and lays two 

 eggs, which, though smaller, bear considerable resemblance 

 to those of the black-throated diver. 



The Black Guillemot (Tobis-Grissla, Sw. ; Uria Grylle, 

 Lath.) was exceedingly common in the neighbouring Skar- 

 gard during the summer months. Many, indeed, passed the 

 winter there, unless the sea was entirely covered with ice. It 

 is also common on all the coasts of Scandinavia, eastern as 

 well as western, from Scania to Finmark ; less so, however, 

 in the south than in the north, where its numbers are some- 

 thing like legion. In Denmark it is common during the 

 winter, and some breed there. 



This bird, which with us was called the Teste, feeds 

 mostly on fish, more especially on the spotted gunnel (Blen- 

 nius Gunnellus, Linn.) ; from which circumstance that fish 

 went amongst the fishermen by the name of the Teste-Fisk. 



In our Skargard, where the black guillemot bred in great 

 numbers, it made its nest amongst heaps of stones, with 

 which the ground is everywhere strewed, or in the clefts of 

 rocks. It lays from one to two eggs (not always a single 

 egg, as English naturalists will have it), and, according to 

 Nilsson, occasionally three (?). These are greyish- white, 

 tinged with green, and marked with larger or smaller dark- 

 brown and ash-grey spots and blotches. In length they are 

 two inches two lines, and in thickness one inch five lines. 



The flesh of the black guillemot of the old birds, at least 

 is hard, black, and not over-palatable ; but on the eastern 



