C O L Y 
eve, an<J all the under parts, white ; legs black. It varies 
in having the black break behind the eye much broader 
in fome individuals. This is much le(s common in Eng¬ 
land than the foolilh guillemot; and only frequents our 
coafls in winter: is rarely feen on thole of Wales; but 
in the Firth of Forth in Scotland, it is met with among 
the black-billed auks in innumerable flocks, in purluit 
offprats; they are there called morrots, and all retire be¬ 
fore the fpring. They are frequent alfo on our vveftern 
cor.ft in the winter. 
V Colymbus gryjle, the black guiiktnot, (improperly 
called the Greenland dove.) In thofe frozen countries 
where Hern Boreas reigns alone, and where the gentle 
zephyrs do not fport, the fweet murmurs of the dove aie 
never heard. The charming votary of love fhuns fuch 
chilling (cents; and the pretended dove of Greenland is 
found to be a melancholy water-fowl, which can only 
fwim and dive, (creaming inceflantly a dry reiterated 
tone of complaint. It bears no refemblance to our pi¬ 
geon, except in bulk, which is nearly the fame in both. 
It is a guillemot fmaller than the two preceding, and its 
wings are alfo (horter in proportion. Its legs are in the 
fame manner placed in the abdomen ; and its walk is fee¬ 
ble and tottering. Its bill is fhorter, more inflated, and 
not fo much pointed as in the preceding fpecies. Tcs fea¬ 
thers are all un webbed, and relemble fitky hair. The co¬ 
lours are black, with a white (pot on each wing, and 
more or lefs of white on the fore fide of the neck and of the 
body : but this charadter varies lo much, that fome indivi¬ 
duals are entirely black, and others almoft entirely white. 
“ It is in winter (lays Willughby) that they are found 
completely white; and as, in the tranfition from one of 
thete garbs to the other, they mult neceflarily be more or 
lefs mixed or variegated with black and white, we may 
reckon the fpotted Greenland doves of different authors 
to be only varieties of the lame individual; becaufe they 
differ not from each other, urtlels in the greater or lefs 
mixture of black and white in their plumage.” Thefe 
fly commonly in pairs, razing the furface of the fea with 
a brilk flapping of their narrow wings. They place their 
nelts in the crevices of the lcwell rocks, from which the 
young cafi throw themfelves into the lea, and avoid be¬ 
coming the prey of foxes that inceflantly watch them. 
Thefe birds lay only two eggs; fome of their nefts are 
found on the coafts of Wales and of Scotland, and alfo 
in Sweden in the province of Gothland. But the far 
greater number breed in much more northern countries, 
in Spitzbergen and in Greenland, the principal abode of 
thefe tribes of the feathered race. They alfo occur in 
St. Kilda, on the Bafs ifle in the Firth of Forth, in the 
Farn iflands off the Northumbrian coalf, and on the L)an- 
didno, in Caernarvonfhire. 
The great differences in the plumage of this fpecies of 
guillemot feems togive rife'to the following varieties, viz. 
The white-winged guillemot; fomewhat larger than the 
la It; bill black ; the general tint of the plumage is moufe 
colour; feveral of the middle wing-coverts tipped with 
white, forming a broad oblong i'pot acrofs the wings; 
legs red. It inhabits Oonalafhka in the North Pacific 
Ocean. Another variety is the black and white-mottled 
guillemot, which Edwards calls the fpotted Greenland 
dove. The upper parts are of a brownifn black, tranf- 
verfely ftriped with a darker colour ; the fides of the head, 
and under parts, from chin to vent, are dufky white, 
tranfverfely barred with pale afh-colour; the wing-co- 
verts mottled with black and white ; native of Greenland. 
A third variety has the head, neck, and brealf, white, 
very lightly fpotted with black; back black, with fome 
of the feathers edged with white; belly fnow-white; 
wings arid tail black, with a white fpangle on the wings. 
This is from Chriftianfoe, and called there fildep'erris. In 
the cohesion of fir Jofeph Banks is a farther variety, not 
greatly differing ; the upper parts of the body dulky black ; 
crown mottled with white ; hind part of the neck in¬ 
clining to afli-colour j greater wi.ng-coveits irregularly- 
M E U S. 839 
marked black and white ; quills and tail black ; from 
Kamtfchatkn. A fifth variety has the plumage in patches 
of white and black on tlye upper parts, and all beneath 
white. All thefe guillemots, which ar probably nothing 
but the fame bird in the different ftages cf moulting, are 
found on the Bafs bland in Scotland, and the ifle ot St. 
Kilda. They make their nelt in burrows underground, 
lay a grey egg, 6r, according to others, two, of a whirilh 
colour, as big as thofe of a lien, marked with many grey 
and black fpots. They dive well, and hence by fome are 
called di<vbig pigeons. 
4. Colymbus iacleo’us, the white guillemot; bill fiefh- 
colour; infide of the mouth white; irides brown; eye¬ 
lids brownilh flefli-colour; head and body white as InovC ; 
back, wings, and bafe of the tail, pale grey ; quills whitifh, 
down the (hafts inclining to brown; legs nufk;* fl.-fli co¬ 
lour and naked far above tile knees. This Dr. Pallas men¬ 
tions as a noU-defcript; and was met with by him on the 
coalf of Holland, call a-flrore between the villages of Cat- 
wick and Scheveningen, in the winter of 1760. 
5. Colymbus marmoratus, the marbled guillemot; ten 
inches in length ; the bill compreffed a little on the lides, 
and (lender; crown of the head dufky; upper part of the 
body tranfverfely barred with tawne) r , chefnut, and brown, 
as far as the tail, which is (hort and black; the wing-co¬ 
verts dufky, edged with white; quills black; the chin 
and throat dulky, mixed with irregular blotches of white; 
bread, belly, and vent, barred and undulated with dulky 
and white; legs pale orange. Inhabits Prince William’s 
Sound, on the weltern coalt of America, and Kamtfchaka. 
The GREBES. 
The grebe is well known by thofe beautiful fiivery 
tufts, which have the foft clofenefs of down, the elaliicity 
of feathers, and the luftre of filk. Its undreffed plumage, 
particularly that of the brealf, is really a line down, very 
dole and firm, and regularly difpofed, whole gliftening 
filaments lie upon each other, and join i’q as to form a 
glaffy Ihining lurface, equally impenetrable by cold or 
humidity. This clothing, fo well adapted to the rigours 
of feafon and of climate, was neceffary to the grebe, which 
in the fevered winter remains conflantly in the water, like 
the divers. But the grebes differ effentialiy from the di¬ 
vers, which have their toes completely webbed, and not 
edged with a fcalloped membrane, parted at each tee. 
The grebe hath its legs placed entirely behind, and alinolt 
funk into its belly, fo that only the feet appear, and are 
like oars ; they naturally throw themfelves outwards, and 
could not fup port the body of the bird on the ground, 
unlefs it flood quite ere< 5 t. In this pofition’, tlie linking' 
with its wings would, inflead of railing it into the air, 
only overturn it, fince the legs could not aid the impui- 
fion. It requires, therefore, a great effort to begin its 
flight on land; and, as if confctous of this imbecility, it 
is obferved to avoid the (hore; and, to prevent its being 
driven thither, it always fwiir.s a^ainff the wind. If un¬ 
fortunately a wave calls it on the biink, it continues 
draggling with its feet and wings to mount into the air, 
and return to the water: it may be then caught by the 
hand, in Ipite of the violent ftrokes it gives with its bill 
in defence. But it is as nimble in the water as it is fee¬ 
ble on fliore; it fwims, dives, dafbes through the waves, 
and runs on the furface, with furprifing rapidity ; its mo¬ 
tions are faid even to be quicker and brifker than when 
under water. It pUrfues the fifh to a very great depth, 
and is often caught in fiftermen’s nets. 
6. Colymbus criflatus, the crelled grebe; about the fize 
of a duck; bill two inches and a half long, ofareddifli 
flefli-colour; tip brown; lore and irides crimfo.n ; head 
greatly enlarged with feathers, l'o as to make it appear 
unnatural; thefe feathers are much elongated on each fide 
of the hind head, appearing like ears, and from thence 
rounded like a ruff t'othe under jaw ; the colour black, 
except the middle of the laft, which is brighr ferruginous; 
the hind part of the neck, , upper parts of'the body, arid 
wings. 
