580 THE BIRDS OF HELIGOLAND 



persuasive and reasoning, as though they were saying in their 

 language ' Now, do come down, don't be afraid, it is not so hard 

 as it looks ; ' whilst the little timorous voices from above seem to 

 reply quite distinctly ' I cannot, I am so afraid, it is so dreadfully 

 high.' Nevertheless, in its distress, the little chick tries to get 

 as near as possible to the mother waiting for it below, and keeps 

 tripping about on the outermost ledge of rock, often of no more 

 than a finger's breadth, until it ends by slipping off, and, turning 

 two or three somersaults, lands with a faint splash on the surface of 

 the water ; both parents at once take charge of it between them, 

 and swim off with it towards the open sea. This is the only way 

 in which I have seen this change of habitat of the young birds 

 accomplished during some fifty summers ; and it has always been 

 one of my greatest enjoyments to lie stretched on the grass on a 

 calm and beautiful summer evening, and, cautiously spying over 

 the edge of the cliff, to watch the doings of many hundreds of pairs 

 of old birds and their young ; one thing only in this proceeding 

 has always filled me with astonishment viz. how it is possible, 

 ainid all this noise and bustle, and with darkness already setting 

 in, for each pair of parents at once to pick out its OAvn offspring 

 from among the large numbers continually arriving from above. 

 The Guillemots of this island are placed under the protection of 

 the law ; they may in no wise be disturbed before St. James' Day, 

 July 25th, by which time all the young birds have left the breed- 

 ing stations, though hundreds of old ones always remain on the 

 cliff, and now become the object of eager pursuit. As a rule, they 

 may be taken at a short range, for the birds fly very quickly, and 

 can stand a good shot. 



This species breeds on the coasts of Labrador, southern Green- 

 land, Iceland, the Faroes, and the islands of England, Scotland and 

 Ireland, as well as on the coasts of Norway up to the Varanger 

 Fjord; a breeding colony also exists on Bornhohn. 



385. Ringed Guillemot [EINGELLUMME]. 

 UKIA RINGVIA, Briinnich. 1 



Heligolandish : Kringelt Skiitt = Ringed Guillemot. 

 Uria hringvia. Naumann, xii. 524. 



Ringed Guillemot. Dresser, viii. 570. 

 Guillemot bride. Temminck, Manuel, iv. 574. 



This species occurs here only in inconsiderable numbers, hardly 

 more than a hundred individuals being met with at any time. No 



1 A form of Uria troile (Linn. ), the last-named species. 



