brunnich's guillemot. 213 



bitants as three species, and had different names accordingly be- 

 stowed upon them. The eggs of each, too, were pointed out 

 among a number collected. The bridled guillemot is said to be 

 abundant at Spitzbergen. 



Little is known of this bird as a British, and still less as an 

 Irish species. We must look particularly to sucli naturalists as 

 visit the breeding-places of guillemots to supply us with informa- 

 tion, both respecting the U. laeri/mans and U. BninnicJdiJ^ 



BEUNNICH'S GUILLEMOT. 



Thick-billed GuiUemot. 



Uria BrUmiichii, Sabine. 

 Is believed to have been seen on the coast. 



The only record of this bird as Irish appears in Ainsworth's 

 description of the caves of Ballybunian on the coast of Kerry 

 to which Colonel Sabine contributed a brief note on the birds he 

 had met with there in the month of July 18.3'3. This species is 

 simply stated to have been " recognized in flight." Erom almost 

 any other person such a note would be of little value ; but it will 

 be remembered tliat to Colonel (then Captain) Sabine, ornitholo- 

 gists are indebted for placing the species, as such, on a fixed 

 basis in his ' ]\Iemoir on the Birds of Greenland,^ published in 

 the Transactions of the Linneean Society (vol. xii. p. 538). It 

 was remarked by him to be in abundance in Davis's Straits, and 

 occasionally in Baffin's Bay. 



Dr. Harvey, of Cork, about the 1st of February, 1850, re- 

 ceived a guillemot, from Youghal, that he is inclined to consider 

 U. Brunnichii. His description of it is : — 



" Length of bill fi-om forehead 2 inches, from rictus 2f inches. Circumference 

 of bill at angle (^ which is farther forward than in the common species), 1^ inch ; thfit 



* Mr. R. J. Montgomery suspects that either of these may be found at the i.sland 

 of Lambay, off the Dublin coast, as the pco])le there speak of a second kiud closely 

 resembling the common guillemot (June 184'J). 



