404 AUK. ClafsH. 



properly layout one egg a piece, of an extraordinary 

 fize for the bulk of the bird, being three inches long : 

 it is either white, or of a pale fea green, irregularly 

 fpotted with black : if this egg is deftroyed, both the 

 auk and guillemot will lay another j if that is taken, 

 then a third : they make no neft, depositing their 

 egg on the bare rock : and though fuch multitudes 



CD O 



lay contiguous, by a wonderful inftinft each diftin- 

 euifhes its own. What is alfo matter of great amaze- 

 ment, they fix their egg on the fmooth rock, with fo 

 exact a balance, as to fecure it from rolling off, yet 

 fhculd it be removed, and then attempted to be re- 

 placed by the human hand, it is extremely difficult 

 if not impofiible to find its former equilibrium. 



The eggs are food to the inhabitants of the coafts 

 they frequent •, which they get with great hazard ; 

 being lowered from above by ropes, trufting to the 

 ttrength of their companions, whofe footing is often 

 fo unftable that they are forced down the precipice., 

 and rjerim together. 



The BLACK BILLED AUK. 



Alca minor, le petit pingoin. Alca Pica. Liu.fyfi. 210. 



Brijfon a-v. vi. 92. tab. 8. Alca unifoicata. Brunnich. 102. 

 fg. 2. Br. Zool. 137, 



THIS is a variety of the common kind: it 

 Weighs only eighteen ounces : the length fif- 

 teen inches and a half : the breadth twenty-five inches. 

 The bill is of the fame form with the Auk's, but is 



entirely 



