he 
262 . Mr. Peabody on the 
fish. ‘They are very social, and betray strong attach- 
ment to each other ; when any one is shot, some one 
alights by its side, swimming round it and stirring 
it with its bill, as if urging it to fly or dive; and 
when man, the only animal savage enough to torture 
and kill for pleasure, lifts an oar, to knock it on the 
head, it reluctantly leaves its friend, and disappears 
under the water. The puffin flies firmly and swims 
rapidly under water; it also dives to the bottom, 
many fathoms deep, to find shell fish and other prey. 
In his contests with the piratical raven, the puffin 
grapples with his antagonist, and both fall into the 
water, when the raven is drowned; but if he can 
_ seize the puffin's neck, the victory inclines to the 
other side. 
The Razor-sittep Aux, Alca torda, occasionally 
goes as far south as New York, in winter; but 
farther south it is never seen. It is found from Bos- 
ton eastward, arriving on the coast in November, 
| and returning in April. While here, they are seen 
hing far out at sea, and are thought to be able to 
dive deeper than even the puffin, in search of their 
food, which consists of shrimps, shell-fish, small - 
fishes, and roe. They breed in the fissures of the 
rocky shores of Labrador, sometimes depositing their 
eggs where the water can run off without wetting 
them ; but. if there is danger that the water will 
Minis: the | eggs, they are laid on pebbles, which 
are heaped by the bird, to let the moisture run below. 
By 
i, 
The nests are very near each other ; it is remarkable, | 
that in the fissures and caverns, ey sit flat upon 
