1 84 CHARACTERS OF VERTEBRATE ANIMALS 



with this, the short legs are attached to the body extremely far 

 back, and the feet are either webbed or the toes are broadened out 

 into lobes. As in a pigeon, there are three forwardly-directed 

 digits, but the great toe, instead of being well-developed, is either 

 small or absent, not being required in birds which are not in the 

 habit of perching on branches and the like. The wings are 

 comparatively short, and are useful not only as organs of flight, 

 but to assist the animal in swimming. The straight beak is more 

 or less flattened from side to side. Auks, Divers, and Grebes 

 are included in this order. Of the first group perhaps the most 

 interesting is the Great Auk, or Gare-Fowl {A lea impennis) (fig. 

 125), which is unfortunately extinct, the last specimens having 

 been shot in 1844. It formerly occurred in great numbers on 

 some small Icelandic islands, and Funk Island, near Newfound- 

 land, to v/hich localities it largely resorted for breeding purposes. 

 Its small wings were useless for the purposes of flight, a fact which 

 had much to do with its extinction. All the remaining flightless 

 birds are limited to the southern hemisphere. The nearest living 

 relative of the Great Auk is the Common Razorbill {Alca torda) 

 (fig. 126), which is common in British seas and has a wide range 

 along both shores of the North Atlantic. Near the Auks come 

 the Guillemots, with narrower and straighter beaks. The type 

 form is the Common Guillemot ( Uria troile), which has a similar 

 distribution to the Razorbill. Much more peculiar forms are the 

 Puffins, called " sea parrots " from the shape of their exceedingly 

 large and laterally - compressed bills. The Common Puffin 

 {Fratercula arctica) is the only kind found in British waters, and 

 has a winter range from the Arctic regions to the Tagus on the 

 eastern shore, and to New York on the western shore, of the 

 Atlantic. The orange- coloured beak, shading into red at the tip, 

 and the white plumage covering the breast and sides of the head, 

 make this bird a conspicuous object. 



Other British Auks are: — Little Auk (Mergulus alle); Black Guillemot {Uria 

 grylie). 



The Divers differ from the auks in several particulars, the most 

 obvious of which is found in the greater length and sharpness of 

 the beak. The Great Northern Diver (Colymbus glacialis), which 

 ranges from the Arctic regions to the Mediterranean and is not 

 infrequent on British coasts, is distinguished by its black head. 



