THE HLACK GUILLEMOT. 
305 
of the Eazor-bill, without being so frequently subject to the ricli 
shades of reddish brown commonly observed in that species, 
but with far richer tints of bluish and purplish grey. The 
ground colour is generally white, often tinged with blue, but 
very rarely with pale brown. The yolk of the egg is of a deep 
orange red, far deeper than that of any other with which I am 
acquainted. As the black Guillemot returns every season to 
the same breeding place, even to the very same holes, strangers 
desirous of taking the eggs with their own*" hands will save 
much time by getting some person to whom the haunts are 
known to accompany them as guide. The male assists his mate 
in the duties of incubation, and to no small extent, if one may 
judge by the denuded state of the abdomen. The down must 
be worn off, not plucked off, as is usually stated, for only acci- 
dental bits of it are found lying about. 1 never saw the young 
birds in the water before they were almost fully feathered, 
and have taken them in that state from the nest ; their cry is 
shrill, but rather plaintive. They are easily tamed, but almost 
invariably die before the expiration of the first winter. 
The average size of the full-grown male is thirteen inches 
and a half, but I have seen it an inch longer. 
The plumage of the bird in the breeding season is exceed- 
ingly beautiful, the sooty black, especially upon the upper 
surface, being glossed with bronze and purplish red. The 
collector, however, should bear in mind that these hues are 
almost impossible to be restored if the specimen has been 
allowed to become soaked with sea-water, or if plaster of Paris 
be used in skinning. Some care should also be taken to avoid 
stretching the skin of the neck where the feathers are small, 
that being the surest way of all to destroy the gloss. 
As a rule, the Black Guillemot keeps near the coast, but it 
is sometimes seen as much as twenty miles away from land. 
Under such circumstances it does not seem to be feeding, but 
merely to have strayed away. 
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