THE BLACK GUILLEMOT 



shores of northern and western Scotland, and also in Ireland, and in winter is 

 chiefly found in the waters around the Scottish and Irish coasts. 



It inhabits the coasts of Northern Europe and other localities westwards to the 

 north-eastern side of America. 



The Black Guillemot differs in habits from the common species, laying two eggs 

 instead of one, and these are placed in crevices among the rocks or under slabs of 

 stone. 



In ground colour they are more or less white, with a tinge of pale blue or green, 

 blotched and spotted with dark brown and shades of purplish-grey. 



Macgillivray says : "Their food consists of small fishes and Crustacea, in search 

 of which they frequent less the sounds and bays than the open sea. On all the 

 coasts of Scotland, the fry of the Coal-fish is a very common article of food with 

 them, as with many other sea-birds. About most of their breeding-places, I have 

 not observed them to proceed daily to a great distance ; but on leaving the rocks 

 with their young they disperse over the ocean, entirely deserting their breeding- 

 places until the next spring. Yet they do not migrate far southward with us, most 

 of them remaining all winter in the north. 



This species sits lightly on the water, on which it paddles about in a lively 

 manner. It dives with rapidity, like a shot as it were, opening its wings a little, 

 and under water actually flies, as I have often seen." 



The remarkable difference between the summer and winter plumage is shown 

 on the plate. 



THE LITTLE AUK. 

 Mergulus alle (Linnaeus). 

 Plate 76. 



The Little Auk, whose summer home is among the rocks and islands of the 

 Arctic Ocean, as a rule only visits our coasts in winter, where it occasionally 

 appears in large numbers, especially after stormy weather, and at such times is 

 often found far inland. 



As an instance of the destruction of bird life by weather conditions, I once 

 counted no less than ninety remains of various species, including three of the Little 

 Auk, during a short afternoon's walk along the shores of the Moray Firth. 



This bird is more frequently seen on our northern coast-line than further south 

 in Great Britain. At their breeding stations on Spitsbergen, Novaya Zemlya, 



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