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THE RAZOR-BILLED AUK. 



Alca Torda, Linn. 



PLATE CCXIV. Male and Female. 



A FEW birds of this species occasionally go as far south as New York 

 during winter ; but beyond that parallel I never met with one. From Bos- 

 ton eastward many are seen, and some breed on the Seal Islands off the 

 entrance of the Bay of Fundy. These Auks generally arrive on our At- 

 lantic coast about the beginning of November, and return northward to 

 breed about the middle of April. During their stay with us, they are 

 generally seen singly, and at a greater distance from the shores than the 

 Guillemots or Puffins ; and I have no doubt that they are able to procure 

 shell-fish at greater depths than these birds. I have observed them fish- 

 ing on banks where the bottom was fifteen or eighteen fathoms from the 

 surface, and, from the length of time that they remained under water, 

 felt no doubt that they dived to it. On my voyage round Nova Scotia 

 and across the Gulf of St Lawrence, we saw some of them constantly. 

 Some had eggs on the Magdeleine Islands, where, as the inhabitants in- 

 formed us, these birds arrive about the middle of April, when the Gulf 

 is still covered with ice. As we proceeded towards Labrador, they passed 

 us every now and then in long files, flying at the height of a few yards 

 from the water, in a rather undulating manner, with a constant beat of 

 the wings, often within musket-shot of our vessel, and sometimes mov- 

 ing round us and coming so close as to induce us to believe that they had 

 a wish to alight. The thermometer indicated 44<°. The sight of these 

 files of birds passing swiftly by was extremely pleasing ; each bird would 

 alternately turn towards us the pure white of its lower parts, and again 

 the jetty black of the upper. As I expected ere many days should pass 

 to have the gratification of inspecting their breeding grounds, I expe- 

 rienced great delight in observing them as they sped their flight toward 

 the north. 



After we had landed, we every day procured Auks, notwithstanding 

 their shyness, which exceeded that of almost all the other sea-birds. The 

 fishermen having given me an account of their principal breeding places, 

 the Ripley proceeded toward them apace. One fair afternoon we came 



