THE LITTLE AUK. 805 



season. — Seldom before latter part of May and early June. Incuba- 

 tion. — By both sexes. Period : 21 days (A. C. Bent), but other 

 authorities give 3 J to 4 weeks. Single brooded. 



Food. — Crustacea (including Pagurus, Crangon, etc.), mollusca, 

 univalves and bivalves (Mytilus, etc.), small fish, and occasionally 

 accidentally drowned insects (Tipulidce). 



Distribution. — British Isles. — Breeds sparsely Isle of Man, and a 

 few places between Solway and Firth of Lome, northwards more 

 abundantly, but especially in some I. and most O. Hebrides, Orkneys 

 and Shetlands, fairly commonly north coast Sutherland and north- 

 east coast Caithness, but not now southwards on east side. Fairly 

 frequent Ireland except east coast, where few. Used to nest a few 

 places east coast Scotland, Flamborough (Yorks), Orme's Head 

 (N. Wales). Outside present breeding area only occasional visitor 

 and especially rare in south. 



Distribution. — Abroad. — Coasts of north Europe eastwards to 

 White Sea, Fseroes, Iceland, south Greenland, eastern North 

 America from Ungava to Labrador and Maine. In winter to north 

 of France and casual Germany, and in America from Cumberland 

 Sound to Cape Cod and casually to New Jersey. Replaced in 

 circumpolar seas (Novaya Zeinlia, Spitsbergen, Franz-Josef Land, 

 north Greenland and arctic America) by an allied form. 



Genus ALLE Link. 



Alle Link, Besclir. Nat. Samml. Univers. Rostock, i, p. 17 (1806 — Type 

 by tautonymy A. alle). 



Smallest European form of family, about as large as Dabchick, 

 bill short, shorter than head, upper mandible broader than high at 

 base, culmen strongly arched. Nostrils round, free in front of 

 feathering. Feathering on lower mandible forward to 4 to 5 mm. 

 from tip. Rec trices 12. Tarsus little shorter than middle toe with 

 claw. 1 species. 



ALLE ALLE 



471. Alle alle (L.)— THE LITTLE AUK. 



Alca Alle Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., ed. x, i, p. 131 (1758 — "Habitat in 

 Europae, Amerieae arcticae oceano." Restricted typical locality Green- 

 land, from first quotation and figure quoted " Columba groenlandica," 

 Albin, pi. 85). 

 Mergulus alle_( Linnaeus), Yarrell, iv, p. 85 ; Saunders, p. 705. 



Description. — Adult male and female. Winter. — Upper-parts 

 glossy-black, narrow band at back of neck speckled white (varying 

 and often in adults not continued right across, feathers have vary- 

 ing amount of white subterminally and black tips) ; scapulars 

 edged white forming narrow white lines ; small white spot above 



