16 
ON THE LESSER GUILLEMOT 
Though it were granted that they migrate, yet a few ouglit 
occasionally to be seen during winter. The fact stated by 
Montagu, of a few Guillemots, in their usual plumage, 
being found in the end of January on the coast of Eng- 
land, is merely an instance of the old birds acquiring the 
summer-plumage sooner than the young ones ; and, more- 
over, this is confessed by Montagu to be " a single in- 
stance besides, if it were necessary, it might still be rea- 
sonably supposed, without receiving his conclusion from 
this fact, that these individuals had assumed their summer 
plumage earlier than is the general habit of the species ; 
and this is an irregularity not unfrequent in other birds, 
and which may often result from their not having paired 
the preceding year ; their moulting, and winter change 
may thus have been less complete ; for I have certainly 
remarked, that incubation renders the moulting succeeding 
it more severe, and the change of plumage more marked. 
If the Colymbus Minor and Alca Pica be distinct spe- 
cies, Why are we not acquainted with their young ? — or. 
Are the young always the same in appearance as the old ? 
This is, however, contrary to the analogy of all water-fowl 
in our latitudes, and especially to that of the other species 
of this genera. 
The Black-billed Auks are said to occur more numerous- 
ly in Greenland than the Razor-Bill; but Fabhicius, 
whom Montagu quotes for this fact, expressly says, he 
never saw the Razor-Bills there during summer, — it applies 
to the winter season ; and the winter-plumage of the Razor- 
Bill, according to his description, is the same as that of the 
other. If then, as he admits, the sulcse in the bill are no 
specific distinction, — how could he distinguish these two 
species from each other ? It is sufficiently suspicious that 
he should never have seen the Razor-Bills in summer, 
when they are comparatively numerous in winter ; but it 
