304 



ORDERS OF BIRDS— WEAK-WINGED DIVERS 



things in feathers. The countenance of a Puffin 

 always reminds one of a face in a comical mask, 

 while in manner they are so solemn, and take 

 life so seriously, their clown-likeness is all the 

 more pronounced. 



The most remarkable feature of a Puffin is 

 its huge, triangular beak, which is flattened 

 out into two high, thin plates, set edgewise 

 against the head, and gorgeously colored. 

 After the breeding-season, certain plates at 



jc^^'ej^Bta-t^ 



1. COMMON PUFFIN. 2. TUFTED PUFFIN. 



3. RHINOCEROS AUKLET. 



the base of the beak are shed. The bird is 

 about the size of a summer-duck. Its wings 

 are short, and very scantily feathered, and its 

 tail is so short as to be practically invisible. 

 In flight its wings look very much like the wings 

 of a penguin as it swims with them under water. 

 In many respects Puffins are wise birds, and 

 if there is aught in the survival of the fittest, 

 they should live long and prosper. They have 

 the remarkable habit of nesting in burrows, 

 which they dig deeply, usually about three feet, 

 in the steep sides of sandy hills. In these re- 

 treats they can defend themselves against ene- 



mies of several kinds. In the defence of their 

 homes they are quite courageous, and often an 

 angry or well-frightened Puffin will seize an 

 offending nose, or human hand, bite it severely, 

 and hang on like a bull-dog. In places where 

 these birds nest in burrows, sentinels are always 

 posted outside, to give the alarm of any ap- 

 proaching enenry. 



It is to be observed, however, that Puffins 

 do not always nest in burrows, but frequently 

 they find rock-ledges so rugged and broken that 

 they can find good nesting-sites in deep and nar- 

 row crevices, wherein they are reasonably safe 

 from molestation. A Puffin lays but one egg, 

 which is large and white, and placed at the end 

 of its burrow. Of course all these birds dive 

 and swim well. 



The Tufted Puffin 1 is the most widely dis- 

 tributed member of this genus, being found 

 from southern California all the way up the 

 Pacific coast to Alaska, Bering Strait, Siberia 

 and on down to Japan. It is (or at least was) 

 abundantly represented on the Farallone Islands 

 from April to July, when the}' breed there. 



This species is instantly distinguishable by 

 its black plumage, its big, triangular bill col- 

 ored bright red and olive green, white eye and 

 white triangular cheek -patch. In the breeding- 

 season, a beautiful flowing tuft of soft, yellow 

 feathers, thick as a lead-pencil, comes forth 

 just behind the eye, and flows backward and 

 downward in a graceful curve. 



On the Atlantic side, from Maine to Green- 

 land, and also from Great Britain to North 

 Cape, lives the Common Puffin, 2 or "Sea 

 Parrot." Of this bird, the whole side of the 

 head, and the breast and abdomen are white, 

 the remainder of the plumage being deep black. 

 Wherever found, it is one of the most interesting 

 birds to be met with near the sea, and its comical 

 appearance, queer movements and fierce tem- 

 per wdien disturbed never fail to amuse the 

 observer. 



The Auks and Auklets are really birds of 

 the cold northern waters; but on the Pacific 

 side there are four species which touch the coast 

 of the United States, and two of them even 

 push their way down to Lower California. 

 These birds are much like puffins with rational 



1 Lun'da rir-ra'la. Length, 15 inches. 

 2 Fra-ter'cu-la arc'ti-ca. Length, 13 inches. 



