492 ALCID^E 



Geographical distribution. Abroad, the Black Guillemot 

 breeds on the Faroes, Iceland, and the coasts of the 

 Continent of Northern Europe as far east as the White 

 Sea. Along the Atlantic sea- board of North America it is 

 found nesting from South Greenland to Newfoundland ; on 

 migration in autumn and winter it inhabits the North 

 Atlantic and the Seas of Europe as far south as about 

 lat. 40 N. 



DESCRIPTIVE CHARACTERS. 



PLUMAGE. Adult male nuptial. General plumage very 

 dark brownish-black displaying an iridescent hue of rich 

 glossy greenish-purple and a large pure white patch on 

 each wing ; basal portion of inner webs of primaries and 

 secondaries, also the under W 7 ing-coverts and axillaries, 

 white ; tail consists of twelve feathers. 



Adult female nuptial. Similar to the male plumage. 



Adult winter, male and female. Top of head, white, 

 streaked with black ; back, scapulars, and upper tail-coverts, 

 barred with black and white ; rump, nearly white with a 

 few streaks of greyish -black; throat, front of neck, chin, 

 cheeks, breast, and abdomen (as in other Auks), white; 

 though in the Black Guillemot this colour is less pure. " As 

 age advances the white winter plumage is less completely 

 assumed, very old examples remaining in black plumage 

 throughout the year" (W. R. Ogilvie-Grant, Cat. Birds Brit. 

 Mus., vol. xxvi, p. 583). 



Immature, male and female. Resembles the adult 

 winter-plumage, but there is only very faint barring of 

 white on the back, scapulars, and upper tail-coverts ; the 

 white patch on the wing-coverts is splashed with brown. 

 Birds in their second spring assume dark plumage like the 

 breeding-dress, but retain the brownish patches on the 

 white wing-coverts. 



BEAK. Black ; inside of the mouth vermilion-red. 



FEET. Vermilion-red. 



IKIDES. Dark brown. 



AVERAGE MEASUREMENTS. 



TOTAL LENGTH 14 in. 



WING 6-5 



BEAK 1-5 ,, 



TARSO-METATAESUS 1-25 ,, 



EGG 2'3 X 1'5 in. 



