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Birds -within Ten Miles of Foirr 
de Monts, Can, Comean & Merriait 
146. Lomvia troile. Foolish Guillemot ; Murre. —Like the Dove- 
kie, the Murre is sometimes very abundant here in winter, while during 
other winters it does not occur at all. It is not wary, and does not even 
know enough to keep out of the way of dogs along the shore. It is well 
named the “Foolish” Guillemot, for both its habits and appearance deserve 
this appellation. In fact it looks like a perfect idiot, swimming over 
on one side as if one leg were broken, and staring vacantly at its enemies 
without attempting to escape. Its tout ensemble is stupid and gawky. 
During the winter of 1875 they were so exceedingly abundant that Mr. 
Comeau shot about a thousand for their feathers, and his dog caught over 
fifty. They were all in very poor flesh, some being little more than 
animated skeletons, and a great many died and were washed ashore. 
Built N, O.O, 7, Get, 1882, p, 242 
VlUeO 
The late records in the Bulletin by Mr. Harry Merrill and 
others, regarding the rarity of Lomvia trcile, prompt me to add 
mv quota of information, which will support the facts alieady 
recorded, as I have known of but two examples ot this species 
occurring in this vicinity in ten years. There is not, however, 
near St. John, any good collecting ground for this class of sea¬ 
birds ; for many species reported as common at the mouth of the 
Bay of Fundy have not been taken here. 
O //\ 
Bird* of Magdalen Islands. 
Dr. L.B.Bishop. 
5. Uria troile. Murre. —Common. Breeds on Bryon Island and the 
Bird Rocks. About a dozen specimens of the lately eliminated species 
U. ringvia , or, as at present considered, phase of plumage of U. troile , 
were breeding on the cliffs of Great Bird Rock. As far as we were able to 
judge from the limited time at our disposal they were in pairs, and seemed 
to be entitled to the rank of a distinct species. An egg obtained by Mr. 
Robbins from one of these peculiarly marked birds could not be distin¬ 
guished from those of the other Murres. April, 188S. P- ’45 
452. Observations of the Nesting Habits of the Guillemots at Bird 
Rock [Gulf of St Lawrence]. By Col. N. S. Goss. Trans. Kansas 
Acad, of Science , VIII, 1881-82, pp. 59, 60.—From differences observed in 
the eggs and habits of the birds the writer believes that Lomvia ringvia 
will prove to be not an individual phase merely of L. troile , as now gen- 
erally held. 
