BRITISH BIRDS. 
1^5 
or bar, formed by the tips and leffer quills, crolTes 
each wing obliquely : the upper part of the head, 
hinder parf of the neck, back, rump, and tail co- 
verts are of a foft gloffy black, and look fomething 
like velvet : the cheeks, chin, and throat are of a 
dull footy dark brown: ridge and pinions of the 
wing, light brown : coverts and quills duiky : legs 
black. 
Thefe birds affociate with the Guillemots, and 
alfo breed in the fame places. About the begin- 
ning of May they take polfeflion of the higheft im- 
pending rocks, for the purpofe of incubation, and 
upon the ledges of thefe rocks they congregate in 
great numbers, fitting clofely together, tier above 
tier, and row above row : there they depofit their 
fingle large egg on the 'bare rock ; and notwith- 
ftanding the numbers of them, which are thus as it 
were mixed together, yet no confufion takes place, 
for each bird knows her own egg, and hatches it 
in that fituation. 
It has often excited wonder that as the eggs 
have no neft or bedding to reft upon, they are not 
rolled off into the fea by gales of wind, or upon 
being touched by the birds : it is alfo faid, that if 
they are removed by the human hand, it is impof- 
fible, or at leaft extremely difficult, to replace them 
in their former fteady fituation. This is^ accounted 
for by fome ornithologifts, who affert that the egg is 
fi:^ed to the fpot upon which it is firft laid, by a glu- 
