250 CASSELLS BOOK OF BIRDS. 



and commonly very high ; makes a vast howling and sometimes croaking noise, which our country 

 folks say prognosticates rain, whence its name with us of the ' Rain Goose.' " Mr. Dunn, who saw 

 this bird in Norway, thus writes to Mr. Yarrell : " This Diver is far more common here than the Black- 

 throated. On the west coast of Norway it is very abundant from the Naze to the North Cape ; in the 

 Lapland Alps, in the Dofre Field, and in the interior of Sweden it is equally numerous. In August, 

 1838, 1 saw, on the great Tornea Lake, thirty in a flock, and all old birds. Although so common, it is 

 rarely one sees the young before they are able to fly ; their habits and feeding are similar to those of 

 the Black-throated Diver. Their cries are very mournful and melancholy. During the breeding 

 season, while on the wing, they utter frequently a sound like the word 'kakera-kakcra,' by which name 

 they are called in many parts of Scandinavia." 



The AUKS (Akida) are distinguishable by their strongly-built body, short neck, large head, 

 short, almost rudimentary wings, short tail, strong, compact, three-toed, broadly-webbed feet, and rich, 

 thick, and downy plumage, which is similarly coloured in the two sexes, but varies considerably at 

 different seasons. 



The LOONS (Urice), while they present the general characters above-mentioned, have wings of 

 moderate length, in which the first quill is the longest, and a short tail composed of twelve feathers. 

 Their beak, which is of moderate length, is vaulted above, somewhat angular beneath, and much 

 compressed and furrowed upon the sides. 



The various members of these groups are all inhabitants of northern seas and of the creeks and 



bays with which they are contiguous; indeed, except in the winter time, they seldom pass much 



beyond the precincts of the frigid zone. They are all strictly sea-birds ; indeed, it is only during 



the breeding season that they take up their abode on terra firma ; at all other times they live 



exclusively upon the water. They swim and dive with remarkable facility ; their powers of flight are 



moderately good, and although they do not willingly walk, they are able to do so tolerably well, 



treading upon the soles of their feet, and not shuffling along upon their tarsi. Their food consists 



exclusively of crustaceans and fishes, which they are able to bring up from a considerable depth. 



They live and feed together, exhibiting considerable sociability, and during the breeding season they 



assemble in flocks, amounting in some species to the number of several hundred thousand pairs, and 



thus become to the inhabitants of the extreme north of inestimable importance. In many settlements 



on the coast of Greenland they, next to the seals, constitute the most important article of food, and 



famine would be the inevitable result of their ceasing to visit their usual breeding-places in their wonted 



numbers. 



THE GREENLAND DOVE, OR BLACK GUILLEMOT. 



The Greenland Dove, or Black Guillemot (Cephus grylle), one of the best-known members 

 of its family, may be regarded as the representative of a distinct group, and is easily recognisable by 

 its small size, and comparatively long, slender, straight beak, which curves downwards at the extremity 

 of the upper mandible. The legs are placed very far back ; the wings are small and pointed, but 

 furnished with strong quills ; the short, rounded tail is composed of from twelve to fourteen feathers. 

 The plumage is thick, and of velvety texture ; its coloration varies considerably at different ages and 

 at different seasons of the year. When in full dress at the commencement of the breeding season, the 

 plumage is glossy black, shaded with green, and enlivened by a white patch upon the wings. The eye 

 is brown, beak black, and foot coral-red. In its winter garb the under side is spotted black and white ; 

 in young birds the upper parts are blackish, the wings being white striped with black, the belly white, 

 and the rest of the body spotted with blackish grey. The length of this species is thirteen inches, 



