THE BLACK GUILLEMOT. 277 



long and very narrow, the dorsal line ascending, straight, the sides sloping 

 upwards, slightly convex, flat at the base, the edges sharp and inflected, the 

 tip acute. 



Head of moderate size, oblong; neck short; body full, depressed; wings 

 rather small. Feet placed far behind, short, of moderate size; tarsus short, 

 compressed, anteriorly scutellate, laterally covered with reticulated angular 

 scales; toes rather slender, scutellate above, connected by entire reticulated 

 webs, the outer and inner with a small marginal membrane; the first toe 

 wanting, the third and fourth about equal, the second shortest; claws small, 

 arched, compressed, rather obtuse, that of the middle toe with a dilated thin 

 inner edge. 



Plumage soft, close, blended and velvety; feathers of the head very short, 

 on the back broadly rounded, of the lower parts more elongated. Wings 

 rather small; primary quills curved, the first longest, the second little 

 shorter, the rest rather rapidly diminishing; secondary incurved, broadly 

 rounded. Tail short, narrow, rounded, of twelve rather pointed feathers. 



Bill black, inside of mouth vermilion tinged with carmine. Iris deep 

 brown. Feet of the same colour as the mouth, claws black. The general 

 colour of the plumage is deep black, on the upper part tinged with green, on 

 the lower with red, there being only a large patch on each wing, including 

 the secondary coverts and some of the smaller feathers, pure white, as are the 

 lower wing-coverts. The quills and tail are tinged with brown. 



Length to end of tail 13^ inches, to end of claws 16i, to end of wings 13; 

 extent of wings 21^; wing from flexure 6^; tail 2; bill along the ridge 1-?, 

 along the gap 1^; tarsus 1^-; middle toe 1^, its claw §•. Weight 13^ oz. 



Adult in winter. 



The bill and iris are of the same colour as in summer, but the red of the 

 feet is paler. The general colour of the plumage is white, the sides of the 

 head, the neck all round, the lower parts, and the rump being of that colour, 

 more or less shaded with grey. The upper part of the head obscurely 

 mottled with greyish-black; the back and scapulars black, each feather 

 tipped with greyish-white, those of the latter more broadly. The wings 

 and tail brownish-black, the former with the conspicuous white patch, as in 

 summer. 



Young a few days old. 



Bill and feet black, the former tinged with red; iris dark brown. The 

 general colour of the soft thick down with which the whole body is covered 

 is brownish-black. 



Male from Dr. T. M. Brewer. The palate is flat, with two papillate 

 ridges, and a series of papillae on each side, parallel to the posterior aperture 

 of the nares, which is linear, and 10 twelfths long; the anterior part concave, 



