General 
descrip- 
tion, 
Summer 
Plumage. 
Winter 
Plumage, 
428 NATATORES. URIA. Buack GuILLEMOT. 
black and ash-grey. Its food consists of fish, crustaceze, &e. 
but authors have not mentioned any particular kind that it 
prefers. The Black Guillemot is widely distributed in the 
Arctic Circle, and is met with in very high latitudes, inha- 
biting all the icy regions of Europe and North America. 
In the latter Continent, Dr Ricuarpson says, “ it abounds 
in the Arctic seas and straits from Melville Island down to 
Hudson’s Bay, and remains, though in diminished numbers, 
during winter in the pools of open water, which occur even 
in high latitudes among the floes of ice.” I may here re- 
mark, that Dr Rewnnir has inadvertently quoted the Uria 
minor of StrpHENs for this species, but which synonyme 
the General Zoology refers to the young and winter plumage 
of the Foolish Guillemot. In that work the Black Guillemot 
is described by the name of Uria scapularis. 
PiateE 80. Fig. 1. represents this bird of the natural size, 
and in the summer plumage. 
Head, neck, dorsal and under plumage, of a sooty or 
brownish-black ; the mantle and lower part of the back 
having a greenish gloss. Lesser wing-coverts next to 
the ridge of the wings, and the quill-feathers, velvet- 
black. Middle and greater coverts pure white, Bill 
black ; one inch and a quarter long from the forehead 
to the tip. Inside of the gape vermilion-red. Legs and 
toes scarlet-red. 
Fig. 2. is a bird of the former season, just commencing 
the vernal moult, from a specimen killed on the Nor- 
thumbrian coast, towards the close of winter. 
Crown of the head and nape of the neck black, the fea- 
thers being bordered with white, Neck, chin, and un- 
der plumage, white ; intermixed with black, thus indi- 
cating the change that has commenced. Back and sca- 
pulars black, with the tips of the feathers white. Lower 
part of the rump white. Speculum, or white space up- 
