Wanderings of a Naturalist 



of its own importance, though with little brains to justify 

 its conceit. 



A true deep-sea fisherman is the razorbill; an intelligent 

 bird, well before either the puffin or the guillemot as regards 

 brains. Razorbills arrange their catch of herring fry with 

 perfect symmetry across the bill, head and tail showing 

 alternately. It would be interesting to know if the puffins 

 and razorbills when fishing drop the fry they are already 

 carrying before attempting to catch another, or whether they 

 are able to capture a new victim with their bills all the while 

 packed with its unfortunate companions. Both puffins and 

 razorbills capture a number of small fry or sand eels which 

 they hold across their bills, but the guillemot is content with 

 catching one larger fish — I have never seen it with more than 

 one — ^which it carries with the head well down its throat and 

 the tail just projecting beyond the captor's bill. 



On one occasion, on a Hebridean isle, I saw a guillemot 

 feed her young. After standing for some time beside the 

 chick, which was begging eagerly to be fed, the mother held 

 down the large fry she was carrying, and the youngster, 

 taking hold of it, swallowed it at a gulp, although the fish 

 was nearly as long as itself. Another guillemot, probably 

 excited by my presence, was unwilling to feed her young 

 one, and ultimately swallowed the fish herself. The feelings 

 of the chick at this point can be imagined ! 



Adjoining this island is a small, rocky islet to which, 

 at dead low water, one can wade with the sea not above 

 one's waist. One day of early July, on a beautiful sunny 

 afternoon, I waded across in the icy cold water, slipping 

 frequently on the seaweed. However, I got over with the 

 camera dry, and found, on a wide, rocky shelf, comparatively 

 easy of access, a large colony of nesting guillemots. About 

 forty eggs lay on the ledge, most of them very dirty and 

 discoloured, and obviously near hatching. In one case the 

 chick was a quarter out of the shell, while in another the 

 youngster had just emerged and was squeaking loudly. A 



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