ZOOLOGY. 



117 



or in the clefts of rocks; the eggs and young are 

 occasionally eaten. One species, (A. Impennis) the Great 

 Awk, is almost destitute of wings, and is unable to fly ; four 

 species frequent our shores* Briiish Ornithology^ vol. 1, 2. 



6. Uria. Guillemot. Bill slender, very sharp-pointed^ 



edges cultrated ; the upper mandible slightly curving 

 towards the tip ; base of the bill covered with short 

 downy feathers ; nostrils linear, placed in a furrow near 

 the base ; tongue slender, almost the length of the bill ; 

 feet three toed, palmated. 



This genus agrees in most particulars with the preceding, 

 they lay but one egg, in similar situations with the Awks. 



7. Colymbus. Diver. Bill strong, strait, pointed, edges of 



both mandibles inclined inwards, the upper mandible 

 somewhat projecting; nostrils linear; tongue long, 

 pointed, serrated on the sides near the root ; legs thin, 

 compressed sideways ; toes four, the outer one longest^ 

 palmated ; the hind toe connected to the inner one by 

 a small membrane ; tail short, composed of twenty or 

 more feathers. 



The Divers are generally confined to the Arctic circle, ex- 

 cept during extreme frosts, when they frequent the northern- 

 most shores of Europe and America ; they feed on fish and 

 other marine productions ; five species have been met with 

 in the British Islands. 



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