482 THE DIVIN(} UIUDS — rVGOPODES. 



informed by letter — at Aiguilh'S d'Etretat. I'his species, to the knowledge of 

 the writer, M. Hardy, has twice been found breeding in the last-named locality. It 

 Avas nesting in holes in tlie rocks on the border of the sea, in company with the 

 tvoile. It laid a single egg, very pyriform, of a brownish white, with a few spots of 

 ashy-gray and sinuous zigzag lines of mingled red and brownish black. In otiier 

 respects the egg of tliis species varies as much as do those of the troth: They vary 

 in length frt)m 3.15 to '{.35 indies, and in breadth from 1.9-1 to 2.04. Tliese measiire- 

 nu'nts differ from those of D;-. Uryant, who gives 3.10 as the maximum lengtli, and 

 1.90 as the greatest breadth. AI. (lerbe, in a note, referring to the views of Faber 

 and Graba as to the specific iniity of trolle, r'liuju'ui, and lomi-ht, adds that Tiiiene- 

 mann, who also visited the same countries, is of an entirely ditferent opinion. He 

 considers these three forms as three distinct species; and wliile, on this point, 

 the opinions of ornithologists remain very much divided, M. Gerbe states tliat — so 

 far as this form is concerned — if it is not a good species, it is certainly a well-marked 

 race. Thienemann founded his belief in the diversity of these species on tiie con- 

 stant differences in their eggs ; and Mr. Proctor, of Durham, England, who has vis- 

 ited the breeding-places of these birds in Iceland, agrees with Thienemann entirely. 

 He visited Grimsey, an island forty miles north of I'.:eland, where he found these 

 three forms breeding on the rocks. They were regarded by all the inliabitants as 

 three entirely distinct birds. Briinnich's Guillemot was the most numerous, and was 

 called Stutncfia. The trolle was next in point of numbers, and was known as Ltimj- 

 nefia. The Hinged Guillemot was the least numerous, and was called Jlriny l(ui(/nrfi<i. 

 The eggs of all three kinds were obtained ; and the distinctions between them were 

 well known to the fishermen, who sejjarated them, when put together, without ditti- 

 culty or hesitation. The eggs of the rinfjcla were the nu)st rare, less from the smaller 

 number of the ])arejit birds than fronr tlie circumstances of their breeding away from 

 the others, far lower down on tlie precipitous ledges, where they were inaccessil)le 

 from below, ami more difficult to obtain by tliose lowered down from above. The 

 Common Guillemot and the Hinged do not breed together, but each keeps by itself. 



I attach far more iniportance to the fact that these forms, in nesting, appear thus 

 to keep exclusively by themselves, than to the supposed differences in eggs, on wlii(di, 

 as evidence of specific separation, we cannot safely rely. Like the eggs of the Arctic, 

 Common, and Eoseate Terns, those of the three forms vary so mucli, and api)ear 

 to run into sn di corresponding variations, that no certain rule, in my judgment, is 

 yet possible. On tlie other hand, the careful sepai'ation of breeding-places is a more 

 sure sign of specific demarcation. All the eggs that I have ever seen of tliis variety 

 (ruiffvifi) are uniformly large, have a constant white ground, and are marked with 

 red and brown lines, long, slender, and irregular. Dr. Bryant's experience was, how- 

 ever, different, as we have seen. 



According to Professor Reinhardt, the Una rlngvia is fouml in Greenland, but is 

 a very rare bird there. Captain Elmes found it breeding on the Island of Berneray, 

 one of the outer Hebrides. It was in company with the more abundant Uria troilr, 

 and was, in proportion to the latter, as one to ten or twelve, which corresponds with 

 the observations of other persons on Handa Island and Ailsa Craig. He took several 

 of the eggs on each of wliich he actually saw one of the Ringed Guillemots sitting, 

 and found that they vary as much as the others, though more were marked with 

 streaks than with blotches. 



This bird is comparatively rare on the New England coast, but has been met with 

 in winter, and is more abundant off the more easterly portions of the coast of Maine 

 than elsewhere. 



