52 BRITISH BIRDS 



white. A white bar on the wing. In winter the throat 

 and part of the sides of the neck and head 

 become white. 



Nest. None made. The egg is laid on the 

 bare rock on open ledges, or tops of stacks. 

 (See razorbill, No. 100.) Species breeds in 

 colonies. 



Egg. One. Pear-shaped. Av. size, 3*04 x 1*94 

 in. Coloration very varied. Ground colour 

 may be various shades r of white, yellow, brown, 

 blue, green, or pink, spotted, blotched and lined 

 with reds, browns, blacks, yellows, greens. 

 Fig. 62. Some eggs unmarked. Laying begins May, later 

 than with the razorbill. One chick reared. 



102. Black-guillemot [Gepphus grylle grylle (Linnseus)]. 

 Salt-water species more or less stationary on the coasts of 

 Scotland, Ireland, and the Isle of Man. Exceptional further 

 south. 



Bird. Length 11 in. Distinguished by the vermilion-red of 

 the legs and the large white patch on the wings. Sexes alike. 

 Plumage, black with green reflections, except for the white 

 areas both on the upper and under-side of the wing. In winter 

 the feathers of the upper-parts of the body are mostly edged 

 with white. Under-parts white. The young have a mottled, 

 barred white-and-black appearance. 



Nest. None made. The eggs are laid on the bare rock, 

 usually under boulders at the foot of cliffs or in crevices in the 

 cliff, exceptionally in holes of ruins. Species nests singly or in 

 relatively small colonies. 



Eggs. Usually 2. Whitish, marked with dark brown and 

 ash-grey. The ground colour may have a tinge of bluish-green. 

 Av. size, 2-32 x 1 '56 in. Laying begins in May- June. One brood. 



103. Little-auk [Alle alle (Linnseus) ; Mergulus alle 

 (Linnseus)]. Irregular winter visitor, mostly off our north and 

 east coasts. 



Bird. Length 7J in. Recognised by its small size. In 

 winter the upper-parts are mostly black, with white margins 

 to the upper scapulars and secondaries, and a white spot over 

 the eye. The under-parts are white, including the sides of the 

 neck, except for a more or less incomplete collar of black. 

 Immature birds lack the white spot over the eye. In spring 

 the throat and neck become black. 



104. Puffin [Fratercula arctica arctica (Linnseus)]. Sea-water 

 species breeding on all the coasts of the British Isles. Uncommon 

 near shore in winter. 



Bird. Length 13 in. Recognised by the large grooved and 



