DIVING BIRDS 
28. Mandt’s Guillemot. Cepphus mandti. 
Range. — North Atlantic coast, more north- 
erly than the preceding, breeding from Labra- 
dor to northern Greenland. 
The bird differs from the Black Guillemot 
only in having the bases of the coverts white 
also. The nesting habits and eggs are identi- 
cal. They nest in colonies of thousands and 
place the eggs upon the bare rock with no at- 
tempt at nest building. Generally the eggs 
are in the crevices so as to be difficult to get 
at. Size 2.30 x 1.55. Data. — Depot Island, Hud- 
son Bay, June 6, 1894. Two eggs laid on bare 
rocky ground. Collector John Comer. 
Murre 
Range. — The Pacific Coast of North Amer- 
ica, breeding from southern California north- 
ward. This bird is very similar to the Black 
Guillemot except that the under surfaces of 
the wings are dark. They breed abundantly on some of the islands of Bering 
Sea and a few of them nest on the Farallones. They lay their two eggs on 
the bare rock in dark crevices. The color is grayish or pale greenish blue 
and the markings are brown and 
black with paler shell markings of _ — 
lilac. Size, 2.40 x 1.60. Data. — S. 
Farallone Islands, Cal. Two eggs 
laid on gravel at the end of a bur- 
row, about two feet from the en- 
trance and 285 feet above the sea 
level. Collector, Claude Fyfe. 
Pale bluish gray 
SO. Ml t rre. Uria iroile troille. 
Range. — North Atlantic coasts 
and islands, breeding from Bird 
Rock northward. Murres are sim- 
ilar in form to the Guillemots, but 
are larger, being about 16 inches 
in length. Entire head and neck 
sooty brown ; rest of upper parts 
grayish black except the tips of 
the secondaries which are white. Under parts white. These birds nest by 
thousands on Bird Rock and on the cliffs of Labrador. They build no nests 
but simply lay their single egg on the narrow ledges of cliffs, where the only 
guarantee against its rolling off is its peculiar shape which causes it, when 
moved, to revolve about its smaller end instead of rolling off the ledge. The 
eggs are laid as closely as possible on the ledges where the incubating birds 
sit upright, in long rows like an army on guard. As long as each bird suc- 
ceeds in finding an egg to cover, on its return home, it is doubtful if they 
either know or care whether it is their own or not. The ground color of the 
eggs vary from white to a deep greenish blue and the markings of blackish 
brown vary in endless patterns, some eggs being almost wholly unspotted. 
Size 3.40 x 2. Data. — South Labrador, June 19, 1884. Single egg laid on the 
bare cliff. Large colony breeding. Collector, M. A. Granar. 
29. Pigeon Guillemot. Cepphus columba. 
29 
