546 
WILLOCK. 
covered with soft feathers, which, with the head, neck, back, wings, 
and tail, are of a deep mouse-coloured brown ; the tips of the lesser 
quill-feathers white ; the whole under side of the body pure white ; on 
the sides under the wings a few dusky lines ; from the eye to the hindhead 
is a singular line occasioned by a division of the feathers ; legs dusky. 
These birds are found in great abundance in various parts of our 
high rocky coasts from north to south, and in some places they per- 
fectly swarm. It is not uncommon to see hundreds sitting upon their 
eggs on the ledge of a rock in a line, nearly touching each other. 
The female lays but one egg, of a greenish colour, blotched and 
marbled with dusky, so variable that scarce two are seen alike. They 
seldom quit their eggs unless disturbed, but are fed with sprats and 
other small fish by the male. In places where they are seldom disturbed 
it is with difficulty they are put to flight, and they may sometimes 
be taken with the hand ; others flutter into the water, appearing not to 
have much use of their wings. They begin to settle on their breeding 
places early in May, and wholly leave the southern parts of the king- 
dom by the latter end of August. 
The razorbill is frequently found in the same situation, but seldorn 
breeds on the same cliff, at least not close to or intermixed with the 
groups of guillemots. These birds are indiscriminately called WiUocks 
and Murres in some parts. The young seldom leave the rocks till they 
can fly, and are of the same colour with the parent birds. 
The lesser guillemot is the female, and is described to be less than 
the male ; its weight is eighteen or nineteen ounces ; length about six- 
teen inches. Bill and irides the same as the last. The upper part of 
the head, hind part of the neck, back, wings, and tail are black ; from 
the eye a dusky streak pointing backwards ; the tips of the secondary 
' quill-feathers are slightly marked with white ; the cheeks, throat, and 
all beneath, white ; along the sides and on the thighs a few dusky 
streaks ; legs black. 
A singular variety of this species was taken alive in the month of 
March. Its length was sixteen inches. The upper parts of the plumage 
where this species is usually black, are in this bird of a pale cinereous 
brown, the margins of the feathers palest ; quills the same, with pale 
tips ; the secondaries, as usual, tipped with white ; the under parts, 
cheeks, and throat, as usual, white ; legs dull orange-brown. 
This bird devoured flesh as well as fish, cut into slender pieces, and 
doubtless would have lived on fresh water, had not some defect existed 
that caused its capture, and which probably occasioned its death, after 
ten days’ confinement in the menagerie. It had in this short time be- 
