138 BRITISH SEA BIRDS. 



the bare ground or rock. The Black Guillemot, 

 and its allies, are remarkable for the fact that their 

 eggs are two or three in number ; in all other 

 members of the Alcidse the eggs never exceed 

 one. This peculiarity has induced some systematists 

 to restrict the genus Uria to the Black Guillemots 

 alone. The Black Guillemot lays two eggs, much 

 smaller than, and not so pear-shaped as, those 

 of the Common Guillemot, cream, buff, or pale 

 green in ground colour, blotched and spotted with 

 rich dark brown, paler brown, and gray. The 

 young chicks are said not to repair to the sea 

 at so early an age as those of the preceding birds ; 

 and to be soon deserted by their parents after 

 doing so, congregating in flocks by themselves. 



RAZORBILL. 



This bird, the Alca torda of Linnaeus and 

 ornithologists generally, is widely confused with 

 the Common Guillemot, and many local names 

 refer indiscriminately to each such as Murre, 

 Marrot, and Diver. It is readily distinguished 

 from the Guillemots by its much deeper bill, crossed 

 by a white line at its centre, and by a narrow yet 

 very conspicuous white stripe, extending from the 

 base of the bill to the eye. Otherwise, the 

 Razorbill closely resembles the Guillemot in appear- 

 ance, both in its summer and winter plumage. It 

 is widely distributed round the British coasts, 

 breeding in most situations where the cliffs are 



