230 
RAZOR-BILL AUK. 
wings, and tail, are black ; tips of the secondaries 
are white ; the breast, belly and under parts, white. 
In the dress of winter, the chin, throat and sides of 
the neck, are white. 
THE RAZOR-BILL AUK. 
A lea torda. 
PLATE XVII. 
Alea torda, Linn . — Le penguin macroptere, Temm. — Razor- 
bill, or Marrot of British authors . — Alca pica, Linn. — Black- 
billed Auk ( winter , and young.) 
This species is nearly equally abundant with the 
Guillemot on all our coasts, and resembles it much 
in hahits, breeding in the same manner and gre- 
gariously on the same rocks, appearing off our 
shores and in our firths, during the winter in small 
parties. These are easily approached in a boat ; but 
they do not suffer it to get quite so close to them as 
the guillemots, diving or taking wing at from twenty 
to forty yards distance. The wings are propor- 
tionally rather shorter, and the flight is performed 
with more rapid strokes, but is, at the same time, 
swift while it lasts ; and, except when seeking its 
