File:Hand-book to the birds of Great Britain (1894) (14745450481).jpg

Identifier: handbooktobirdso04shar (find matches)
Title: Hand-book to the birds of Great Britain
Year: 1894 (1890s)
Authors: Sharpe, Richard Bowdler, 1847-1909
Subjects: Birds -- Great Britain
Publisher: London, Allen
Contributing Library: American Museum of Natural History Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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ass the winter away from the shores of theislands, probably on the open sea not far from them, as isindicated by living individuals occasionally appearing duringthe winter, and by the dead bodies regularly cast ashore aftereach severe storm of the season. About the ist of April, or alittle earlier, enormous flocks approach the shore and takepossession of the rookeries. When breeding, the long rows of Ares * on the narrowshelves of rocks, where they have deposited their many-coloured, large, pear-shaped eggs, face the rocky wall withtheir white breasts, turning their black backs to the spectator.When flying off the nest, they consequently are compelled tofirst turn round, and, if taken by surprise, this manoeuvre willoften cause them to throw the egg from the shelf into thewater. It happened several times that, when I stealthilyapproached in a boat under the breeding-colonies, several eggswere thrown into the boat when the birds rushed off their * So called from their note, ar-r-r. \AJ
Text Appearing After Image:
CLACK GUILLEMOT. 123 nests, if the bare rock upon which the egg is placed can becalled a nest, and my Aleutian oarsmen were always in a roarof laughter when one of these projectiles exploded on the headof an unfortunate comrade. Mr. Trevor Battye informs methat in Spitsbergen he saw this Guillemot swimming aboutwith the young one on its back. Nest.—None, the single egg being laid upon the bare rock. Eggs.—Similar to those of the Common Guillemot, andsubject to the same variation. Mr. H. J. Pearson visited acolony on Novaya Zemlya, and obtained a series of eggs inJuly, 1895. He says :— The series shows great variety incolour and size. In colour they closely resemble a selectedcollection of the Common Guillemots eggs, and pass frompure white to the browns of the Razor-bill, with every varietyof yellows and blue-greens, some being very handsomelyblotched with black. THE BLACK GUILLEMOTS. GENUS CEPPIIUS. Cepphus^ Pallas, Spil. Zool. v. p. 2i7) (1769)- Type C. grylle (Linn.). The gen

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