Ai,rTn^.- 



-BIRDS.- 



-The Guillemot. 



425 



by the peculiar tufts of feathers which spring from the 

 hack and sides of the head. 



THE UTILE GREBE (Po(!icq)S minor), also called 

 the Dabchick, and in some places the Didapper, is 

 the smallest British species of this family, and is by no 

 means uncommon in this country throughout the year. 

 It is widely distributed in the northern parts of tlie 

 Old World, but is not found in America. The Little 

 Grebe measures only nine inches and a half in length, 

 and is nearly black above, and grayish-white beneath, 

 with the cheeks and upper part of the neck reddish- 

 chestnut. It frequents rushy lakes and ponds during 

 the summer, but in winter resorts to small streams, 

 and when the weather is severe even to estuaries and 

 sheltered parts of the sea-coast. Its food consists of 

 small fishes, insects, and other aquatic animals ; and 

 its nest, which contains from four to six eggs, is of 

 large size, and placed amongst the reeds and rushes 

 which fringe its place of abode. 



THE SENEGAL COOT-GREBE {Podica senegalensis) 

 is nearly allied to the true Grebes, but differs from them 

 in having a well-developed tail, in the greater length 

 of the legs, and in having the posterior toe larger, 

 placed nearly on the same plane as the anterior toes, 

 and bordered by a membrane. Its neck is also much 

 elongated. This bird, presenting a curious combina- 

 tion of characters, has frequently been placed with the 

 Coots in the preceding order. It is a native of Western 

 Africa. 



Family III.— ALCID.E. 



In this family, which includes the Auks, PufBns, and 

 Penguins, the wings are still smaller than in the pre- 

 ceding group, frequently quite incapable of raising their 

 owners into the air, and in some cases even reduced to 

 a nearly rudimentary condition, and covered only mth 

 a scaly skin. In all cases, however, these organs are 

 of service to the birds when swimming beneath the 

 surface of the water, an occupation in which much of 

 their lives is passed. The legs in these birds are placed 

 quite at the hinder extremity of the body, so that 

 when on shore they are under the necessity of sitting 

 upright, and supporting themselves on the whole lower 

 surface of the tarsus, which forms a sort of sole, and the 

 hinder toe is either entirely wanting or quite rudimen- 

 tary. The anterior toes are well developed and united 

 by ample membranes. 



Tlie Alcidoe are distributed in most parts of the 

 world, but are most abundant in high northern and 

 southern latitudes. They are found upon the barren 

 rocky shores of the arctic and antarctic lands and 

 islands, often in flocks consisting of vast numbers of 

 individuals ; they pass the greater part of their time in 

 the sea, which furnishes them with an abundant supply 

 of the fishes on which they chiefly prey. 



THE COMMON GUILLEMOT ( Una Troile), which is 

 likewise called the Foolish Guillemot, is one of the 

 most abundant and best known British species of 

 this family, and at the same time one of those which 

 approaches in its characters most nearly to the Divers 

 and Grebes. In common with the other Guillemots, 

 it has the wings sufliciently developed to enable it to 

 Vol. I. 



fly, and the bill is elongated and conical ; its colour is 

 a sooty black on the back and wings, except the tips 

 of the secondaries, which are white ; the upper part of 

 the throat is also black, but the rest of the lower sur- 

 face is pure white. The length of the bird is about 

 eighteen inches. 



The Common Guillemot is abundant round our 

 coasts at all seasons, and breeds in thousands upon 

 the ledges of the cliffs in many places. It makes no 

 nest, but lays a single egg upon the bare rock, and the 

 female sits upon the egg in an upright position. The 

 young, when hatched, remain for a time upon the ledge 

 of rock, but when arrived at a certain age, the old birds 

 are said to take their offspring on their backs, and fly 

 with them down into the sea. 



THE RINGED GUILLEMOT ( Ui-ia lacnjmans) and the 

 Black Guillemot {Uria Grylle) are also common 

 European and British species ; the former closely 

 resembles the Common Guillemot, but has a white 

 ring smTounding each eye, and giving off a narrow line, 

 which runs backwards on the head ; and the latter is 

 of a black colour, with a large white patch upon each 

 wing. The Black Guillemot is also abundant on the 

 arctic shores of America. 



THE PUFFIN [Fratercula arctica), also called the 

 Sea-parkot and Coulterneb in allusion to the form 

 of its bill, is a summer visitor to our shores, on some 

 parts of which it breeds in vast numbers. The female 

 deposits her single egg, sometimes in the fissures of 

 the cliffs, sometimes in burrows which she excavates 

 in soft ground to a depth of about three feet, and 

 sometimes in rabbit burrows, the possession of which 

 she disputes with the rightful owners. On land the 

 Puffin is a very awkward bird ; but it flies swiftly, and 

 swims and dives well. 



THE RAZOR-BILL {Utwnania tarda) is another spe- 

 cies remarkable for the singular form of its bill, which 

 is considerably longer than that of the Pufiin, but very 

 much compressed and much arched towards the point. 

 The biU is black, with three grooves and a white line ; 

 the upper surftvce and wings are black, with a narrow 

 streak running from the base of the bill to each eye, 

 and the tips of the secondaries and tertiaries white ; 

 the whole lower surface is pure white, and the feet are 

 nearly black. The length of the adult bird is about 

 seventeen inches. The habits of the Razor-bill closely 

 resemble those of the Guillemots ; it is most abundant 

 in the arctic seas, but occurs more or less on all the 

 European coasts. 



THE LITTLE AUK (Mergidus AUe).~ln this bird 

 the bill is shorter and tliicker than in the Guillemots, 

 and the general form of the body is short and stout. 

 It is a small species, less tlian nine inches in length ; 

 the head and throat and all the upper surface are 

 black, with a small spot over each eye, and the tips of 

 the secondaries and tertiaries white ; the lower surface 

 is white, the biU black, and the feet yellowish-brown. 

 In winter the throat is white. The Little Auk is 

 found abundantly in the arctic seas, and occurs not 

 uncommonly round the British coasts in winter. 



THE GREAT AUK {Alca impcnnis). — This bird, 

 which is nearly, if not quite extinct, is a native of the 

 arctic seas, and was formerly met with occasionally 



8 H 



