270 THE FOOLISH GUILLEMOT. 



The Foolish Guillemot, as I have said, lays only a single egg, which is the 

 case with the Thick-billed Guillemot also. The Razor-billed Auk lays two, 

 and the Black Guillemot usually three. I have assured myself of these facts, 

 not merely by observing the birds sitting on their eggs, but also by noticing 

 the following circumstances. The Foolish Guillemot, which lays only one, 

 plucks the feathers from its abdomen, which is thus left quite bare over a 

 roundish space just large enough to cover its single egg. The Thick-billed 

 Guillemot does the same. The Auk, on the contrary, forms two bare spots, 

 sejoarated by a ridge of feathers. The Black Guillemot, to cover her three 

 eggs, and to warm them all at once, plucks a space bare quite across her 

 belly. These observations were made on numerous birds of all the species 

 mentioned. In all of them, the males incubate as well as the females, 

 although the latter are more assiduous. When the Guillemots are disturbed, 

 they fly off in silence. The Auks, on the contrary, emit a hoarse croaking 

 note, which they repeat several times, as they fly away from danger. The 

 Foolish Guillemot seldom if ever attempts to bite, whereas the Razor-billed 

 Auk bites most severely, and clings to a person's hand until choked. The 

 plumage of all the birds of this family is extremely compact, closely downed 

 at the root, and difficult to be plucked. The fishermen and eggers often use 

 their skins with the feathers on as "comforters" round their wrists. The 

 flesh is dark, tough, and not very palatable; yet many of these birds are eaten 

 by the fishermen and sailors. 



The young, which burst the egg about the beginning of July, are covered 

 with down of a brownish-black colour. When eight or ten days old they 

 are still downy, but have acquired considerable activity. As they grow up, 

 they become excessively fat, and seem to be more at ease on the water than 

 on the land. About the middle of August they follow their parents to the 

 open sea, the latter being then seldom able to fly, having dropped their 

 quills; and by the middle of September scarcely any of these birds are to be 

 found on or near the islands on which the}^ breed, although great numbers 

 spend the winter in those latitudes. 



There is no perceptible difference between the sexes as to colour, but the 

 males are larger than the females. The white line that encircles the eye and 

 extends toward the hind head is common to both sexes, but occurs only in 

 old birds. Thousands of these Guillemots however breed without having 

 yet acquired it, there merely being indications of it to be seen on parting the 

 feathers on the place, where there is a natural division. 



The flight of the Foolish Guillemot is rapid and greatly protracted, being 

 performed by quick and unintermitted beatings. They move through the 

 air either singly or in bands, in the latter case seldom keeping any very 

 regular order. Sometimes they seem to skim along the surface for miles, 



