RAZOR-BILL. 475 



A young bird of the year killed in December, repre- 

 sented by the central figure in the illustration, has the beak 

 smooth and black, as yet without ridge, groove, or white 

 line on either mandible ; the white line from the top of the 

 beak to the eye very observable, but not very pure in 

 colour, being mixed with a little black ; chin, throat, neck 

 in front, and on the side at the upper part, cheeks, and 

 ear-coverts, white ; in other respects like the old bird in 

 summer. 



A young bird about a week old, obtained from the rocks 

 at the Isle of Wight, has the beak smooth and black, no 

 white line to the eye, but the chin and throat are white, 

 with a few greyish-black hairs about the middle of the neck 

 in front ; the head and hind neck black, with a few white 

 hairs ; body above and the wings dull sooty-black. 



The young bird of the year at Christmas only differs 

 from the adult bird in winter in the character of the beak, 

 which is smaller and has not then acquired the grooves or 

 lines so conspicuous in the old bird. The young bird re- 

 tains its white throat till the spring moult, when it assumes 

 the black throat peculiar to the breeding-season. 



It is matter of surprise that Colonel Montagu, who was 

 so good an observer, should have remained mistaken on the 

 subject of his Lesser Guillemot and Black-billed Auk. 

 Had he obtained a young bird of the Common Guillemot, 

 or the Razor-bill from the rocks on our coast, in June, and 

 kept it alive in his garden till Christmas, the riddle would 

 have been solved for him. 



