408 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



strident " urrah, urrah," a long-drawn wailing " yee-orrrr," and 

 hunger-cry of young, a high-pitched " uk." 



Breeding-habits. — Breeds in colonies, often of great size, on 

 islands with precipitous cliffs. Nest. — Built mainly of seaweed, 

 especially tangle (Laminaria) and Fucus, though grasses and 

 campion (Silene) are also used, and various odds and ends thrown 

 up by the sea. Egg. — One only, cases of two being probably due in 

 most cases to two hens, pale blue, but almost covered with a soft 

 chalky deposit of lime, which sometimes fails in places, disclosing 

 blue undershell. Outer layer rapidly picks up nest stains and 

 incubated eggs are often heavily stained with various shades of 

 brown and yellow. Average of 90 eggs 78.8x50.0. Max. : 87.2 X 

 51.6 and 78.6 X 53.7. Min. : 62.5 X 43.1 mm. Breeding -season. — Begins 

 usually April, exceptionally late March : often not till May. 

 Incubation. — By both sexes. Period 42-45 days. Single brooded. 



Food. — Almost entirely fish. Gurney records herring, mackerel, 

 coal-fish or saithe, pollack or lythe, codling, whiting, haddock, 

 power cod, sand-eel, salmon smolts, sea-trout, gurnards, garfish, 

 sprat, pilchard and anchovy. Also occasionally cuttle-fish (Cepha- 

 lopoda). 



Distribution. — British Isles. — Resident. Breeds Grasholm (Pem- 

 broke), Bass Rock (Haddington), Ailsa Craig (Ayr), St. Kilda Isles 

 and West Sulisgeir (0. Hebrides), the Stack or East Sulisgeir (Ork- 

 neys), Noup of Noss, Bressay (Shetlands) since 1915 (J. S. Tulloch, 

 Scot. Nat, 1915, p. 251), 5 pairs 1919, 10 pairs 1920 {Brit. B., 

 xiii, p. 159 ; xiv, p. 94), two Stacks (the Rumblings and Humla 

 Stack) west of Muckle Flugga (Shetlands) in 1920, and probably 

 1919 (E. G. B. Meade-Waldo, Brit. B., xiv, p. 93), Bull Rock, 

 (Cork), and Little Skellig (Kerry). Last bred Lundy Island in 1903. 

 In autumn and winter breeding-places deserted and general south- 

 ward movement. 



Distribution. — Abroad. — Breeds in Faeroes and Iceland, and in 

 North America south to Gulf of St. Lawrence, also on rock off S. 

 Newfoundland. In winter along coasts of north Atlantic, extending 

 south to Marocco (according to Hartlaub even to Senegambia), 

 Azores, and Canary Islands, and in America to Gulf of Mexico. 

 Also rare in Mediterranean and Baltic, and casual in Greenland and 

 Madeira. 



[Note. — An American Darter, Anhinga anhinga (L.), is said to have 

 been shot near Poole (Dorset), June, 1851 (Zool., 1852, p. 3601).] 



[Note. — A Red-billed Tropic-Bird, Phaethon cethereus (L.), is said to 

 have been found dead in Herefordshire (Saunders, p. 366).] 



Order TUBINARES. 



Oceanic birds of very different size. Nostrils more or less 

 tubular, sometimes united on top of culmen, sometimes more lateral. 



