GUILLEMOTS, RAZORBILL, ETC. 137 



more than half below the surface when apparently 

 alarmed. Black Guillemots may often be seen 

 in strings, flying to and from a distant feeding 

 place, hurrying along close to the water, their 

 short wings beating rapidly, and rendered very 

 conspicuous by the broad white bar. The food 

 of this Guillemot is largely composed of the 

 fry of the herring and the coal-fish, but other 

 small fishes are eaten, as are crustaceans, and 

 various marine insects. I have never heard the 

 Black Guillemot utter a sound beyond a low 

 grunting ; but its note has been described as a 

 whining sound, that of the young birds being more 

 shrill. In chasing its finny prey under the water 

 the Black Guillemot displays astonishing powers, 

 darting to and fro, aided by its wings and feet. 

 During winter these birds wander southwards, 

 and then they may sometimes be seen off our 

 more frequented coasts. 



The Black Guillemot retires to its breeding- 

 stations in May. These are situated, in our islands, 

 on rocky headlands and islands, and on ocean 

 cliffs. Here its colonies are never very large, 

 and often much scattered. It very probably pairs 

 for life, and resorts often to one particular spot 

 year after year. The bird deposits its eggs in 

 a hole or cranny of the cliffs, occasionally in the 

 clefts amongst fallen rocks at the foot of the 

 precipice, or on rock-strewn downs sloping to the 

 sea. It makes no nest, and the eggs rest upon 



