ALCA'DM. 553 



or in a natural cavity to which there is but one 

 entrance : where space allows it several birds con- 

 gregate in the same cavity. 



The food appears to be entirely fish, and Yarrell 

 adds thin-skinned Crustacea. 



This is a little bird, considerably smaller than the 

 Puffin. The bill is black ; irides hazel ; there is a 

 small white spot over the eye ; the head, hind part 

 of the neck, back, wings and tail are black, but the 

 ends of the secondaries and sides of the tertials are 

 margined with white, which makes several white 

 streaks on each side of the back ; the colour on the 

 chin, throat and neck in front, depends on the season, 

 being black in summer, white in winter, and mottled 

 in spring and autumn that is to say, while the 

 change of plumage is going on ; the under surface 

 of the body is white ; the legs and toes yellowish 

 brown ; the webs darker brown. 



The eggs are said to be of a uniform pale blue, 

 not unlike those of the Starling in colour. Meyer's 

 picture seems much too large, considerably ex- 

 ceeding the measurements given by Yarrell. 



PUFFIN, Fratercula arctica. This curious-looking 

 little bird occasionally straggles up the Bristol Chan- 

 nel from Lundy as far as our coast. Yarrell con- 

 siders it a summer visitor to the English coast, but 

 I have seen one or two specimens off Exmouth in 

 the winter. Montagu also mentions their occasional 

 appearance on that coast during the winter : some of 



