PALMIPEDES. 167 



ceding 1 , is covered with feathers down to the nostrils; there is also an emar- 

 gination at the point which is somewhat arcuated. Their chief character, 

 however, consists in the absence of the thumb. Their wings, much shorter 

 than those of the Divers, scarcely enable them to flutter. They feed on fish, 

 crabs, &c. and are found among rocky precipices when they breed. 



ALGA, Lin. 



The Auks are known by the very much compressed, vertically raised bill 

 which has a trenchant back, and is usually grooved transversely; and by the 

 feet which are completely palmated, and have no thumb like those of the 

 Guillemot. All these birds inhabit the northern seas. We may divide the 

 genus into two subgenera. 



FBATERCUIA, Briss. 



Or the Puffins^ whose bill, shorter than the head, is as high and higher 

 base than it is long, which gives it a very extraordinary form; a folded skin 

 usually covers its base. The nostrils placed near the edge are mere slits. 

 Then* small wings can just sustain them for a moment; they live upon the 

 ocean and breed on the rocks. 



The most common species, Aha, arctica, L., is the size of a Pigeon, and 

 has a black calotte and mantle; white beneath. It sometimes breeds among 

 the cliffs on the English coast, and is very common on those of France dur- 

 ing the winter. 



ALCA, Cuv.(l) 



The true Auks have a more elongated bill, resembling hi form the blade 

 of a knife; it is covered with feathers as far as the nostrils. Their wings 

 are decidedly too small to support them, and therefore they never at- 

 tempt to fly. 



APTENODYTES, Forst. 



The Penguins are even less capable of flying than the Auks. Their little 

 wings are covered with mere vestiges of feathers, which at the first glance 

 resemble scales; their feet, placed farther behind than those of any other 

 bird, only support them by bearing on the tarsus, which is widened like the 

 sole of the foot of a quadruped, and in which are found three bones soldered 

 together at their extremities. They have a small thumb directed inwards, 

 and their three anterior toes are united by an entire membrane. They are 

 only found in the Antarctic Seas, never going on shore except to breed. 

 They can only reach their nests by drawing themselves along on their 

 bellies. The difference in their bill authorizes their division into several 

 subgenera. 



. 



(1) Aka, Aik, Auk, the name of these birds in the Feroe Islands, and in 

 the north of Scotland. That of Penguin, first given to the Aptenodytes of 

 the south by the Dutch, indicates the oily nature of their fat. 



