ALCID^. 429 



[Ohservaiion. — Briinnich's or Thick-billed Guillemot (Lomviahruemiichi, 

 Sabine). A single exnmple of this Guillemot has been recorded by Dr. Bull- 

 more in his Cornish Fauna as having been shot some years ago at Rose- 

 mullion Head. It is an inhabitant of the Arctic seas, and very rarely 

 wanders to the south. It differs from the Common Guillemot (of which 

 some ornithologists consider it only a race) in ha\dng a stouter beak and in 

 having the base of the upper mandible of a horn colour, and in a specimen 

 which we have now before us we notice that the basal edges of the upper 

 mandible overlap the lower considerably.] 



Black Guillemot. Una grylle (Linn.). 



A casual visitor, of rare occurrence, in autumn and winter, to the 

 south coast of the county, principally to Plymouth Sound and Torbay, 

 having only once been detected in the north. 



Of this pretty species of Guillemot Col. Montagu writes, " We have 

 seen it rarely on the coast of Wales near Tenby, where a few breed 

 annually ; but nowhere else that we could find from thence to St. David's." 

 Kow, from our familiarity with the whole of the Pembrokeshire coast, 

 we are inclined to believe that this is all a mistake. AVishing, if we 

 could, to confirm the Colonel's assertion, we have questioned all the likely 

 people we have met, and have also examined every local collection of 

 birds to which we could obtain access, and in not one of these did we 

 find a Black Guillemot, nor had any of the men who were well acquainted 

 with the various breeding-stations of cliff-birds ever seen or heard of this 

 species. Had the Black Guillemot nested, even in small numbers, on the 

 Pembrokeshire coast, it would certainly have occurred some time or other 

 on the opposite shores of Devonshire, where it is almost unknown. The 

 only Xorth Devon specimen we have ever heard of was one which was 

 picked up dead by the side of the Taw in the autumn, and was a 

 young bird of the year. 



" Rare ; one (black) is in Pincombe's Collection, and a spotted one in Drew's " 

 (E. M., Miig. Nat. Hist. 1837). An adult in winter plumage was obtained near Ply- 

 mouth, January 18(>.3 (J. B. R., Trans. Plym. Inst. 18(J2-(;;j ; and J. J. R., Zool. 18()b, 

 p. 8448). An immature specimen on the Exe estuary, October 1872 (Rev. C. R. Carr). 

 One in winter plumage which occurred in Torbay, and another at Hope's Nose, 

 Torbay, February 1880, are in the Toi-quay Museum. One in " weather-worn winter 

 plumage" brought to a Stonehou.se bird-stuH'er, January Kith, J8s.'j (J. G., Zool. 

 188y, p. 106), is now in tlie A. M. M. A young one in the plumage oC the lirst year 

 was obtained in Plyinouih Sound, December Uth, 188G (J. G., Zool. 1887, p. 378). 



Mr. llodd knew of only two in Cornwall ; four are mentioned by 

 Mr. Mansf.'l-l'leydell from Dorsetshire, and tlicrc is l)Ut a single one from 

 Somerset, an adult in winter plumage obtuined some yeans ago near 

 Quantockshcad. 



The ]5lack Guillemot is very well known in tlio far north of Iho British 

 Islands, where wo have soon numbers ott' the N.W. coast of Scotland. It 

 is the familiar " Tysty " of tlie inhabitants of Orkney and the Hebrides, 



