304 
ORDERS OF BIRDS— WEAK-WINGED DIVERS 
things in feathers. The countenance of a Puffin 
always reminds one of a face in a comical mask, 
while in manner they are so solemn, and take 
life so seriously, their clown-likeness is all the 
more pronounced. 
The most remarkable feature of a Puffin is 
its huge, triangular beak, which is flattened 
out into two high, thin plates, set edgewise 
against the head, and gorgeously colored. 
After the breeding-season, certain plates at 
2 
1. COMMON PUFFIN. 2. TUFTED PUFFIN. 
3. RHINOCEROS AUKLET. 
the base of the beak are shed. The bird is 
about the size of a summer-duck. Its wings 
are short, and very scantily feathered, and its 
tail is so short as to be practically invisible. 
In flight its wings look very much like the wings 
of a penguin as it swims with them under water. 
In many respects Puffins are wise birds, and 
if there is aught in the survival of the fittest, 
they should live long and prosper. They have 
the remarkable habit of nesting in burrows, 
which they dig deeply, usually about three feet, 
in the steep sides of sandy hills. In these re- 
treats they can defend themselves against ene- 
mies of several kinds. In the defence of their 
homes they are quite courageous, and often an 
angry or well-frightened Puffin will seize an 
offending nose, or human hand, bite it severely, 
and hang on like a bull-dog. In places where 
these birds nest in burrows, sentinels are always 
posted outside, to give the alarm of any ap- 
proaching enemy. 
It is to be observed, however, that Puffins 
do not always nest in burrows, but frequently 
they find rock-ledges so rugged and broken that 
they can find good nesting-sites in deep and nar- 
row crevices, wherein they are reasonably safe 
from molestation. A Puffin lays but one egg, 
which is large and white, and placed at the end 
of its burrow. Of course all these birds dive 
and swim well. 
The Tufted Puffin 1 is the most widely dis- 
tributed member of this genus, being found 
from southern California all the way up the 
Pacific coast to Alaska, Bering Strait, Siberia 
and on down to Japan. It is (or at least was) 
abundantly represented on the Farallone Islands 
from April to July, when they breed there. 
This species is instantly distinguishable by 
its black plumage, its big, triangular bill col- 
ored bright red and olive green, white eye and 
white triangular cheek -patch. In the breeding- 
season, a beautiful flowing tuft of soft, yellow 
feathers, thick as a lead -pencil, comes forth 
just behind the eye, and flows backward and 
downward in a graceful curve. 
On the Atlantic side, from Maine to Green- 
land, and also from Great Britain to North 
Cape, lives the Common Puffin , 2 or “Sea 
Parrot.” Of this bird, the whole side of the 
head, and the breast and abdomen are white, 
the remainder of the plumage being deep black. 
Wherever found, it is one of the most interesting 
birds to be met with near the sea, and its comical 
appearance, queer movements and fierce tem- 
per when disturbed never fail to amuse the 
observer. 
The Auks and Auklets are really birds of 
the cold northern waters; but on the Pacific 
side there are four species which touch the coast 
of the United States, and two of them even 
push their way down to Lower California. 
These birds are much like puffins with rational 
1 Lun'da cir-ra'ta. Length, 15 inches. 
2 Fra-ter' cu-la arc'ti-ca. Length, 13 inches. 
