by twenty-six and a half to twenty-seven in breadth; the length of wing
is eight inches, and that of tail three and a half. When in nuptial
costume, this species is black upon the upper part of body and fore neck;
a narrow band passing from the base of the beak to the eye, a line formed
by the tips of the secondary quills, and the breast and belly are all pure
white. In winter the neck and sides of head are white. In young birds
the colours are indistinct. The eye is dark brown, beak black, with a
transverse line of white, and foot black. The Razor-bill is emphatically
a sea-bird, passing the greater part of its time upon the ocean, and
living from year's end to year's end almost in the same locality. In
winter these birds may be seen in great numbers in all the Norwegian
fjords, from which they are absent during the summer. They appear likewise
with some regularity upon the north shores of Germany, Holland, France,
and Great Britain, wending their way back at the coming of spring, to
breed in more northern latitudes. In the month of May they resort to the
same breeding-places as the groups above described, and that in even
still greater numbers. Boje observed a flight of Razor-bills measuring
at least a thousand yards across, and which was so long in passing over
his head that he had time to load and fire his gun ten times into the
thick of the passing multitudes. We ourselves have seen equally numerous
flights. Upon the Nyken during the breeding season they may be counted
by hundreds of thousands, sitting in pairs and little societies upon
every available projection of the rock, bending and twisting their heads
in all directions, with most ludicrous pertinacity. In these northern
regions they are so fearless of man that they will allow themselves to be
approached within a few hundred paces without exhibiting the slightest
mistrust. When, however, we tried to seize one of them, they threw
themselves headlong into the sea, from whence, after having swum about and
dived a little, they again ascended to their resting-place. Upon rocks
much resorted to by sea-fowl we have observed that the Razor-bills always
take possession of rents and crevices, in which they deposit their egg.
Some are found under stones, and a few in holes. Each pair produces but a
single egg, which is of large size, much elongated, and very variable both
in colour and markings, insomuch that no two can be found exactly alike.
The young when hatched are clad in a thick coat of brownish black down,
with white faces. Before they are half grown they become impatient of
longer confinement, and apparently excited by the noise around them, throw
themselves into the sea beneath, or roll themselves over and over upon
the rocks until they reach it. The parents immediately follow them, and
instruct them how to obtain food. This first leap of the young is a very
hazardous proceeding, and thousands, instead of falling into the water,
are dashed to pieces on the stones, insomuch that at this season the foot
of the rock is literally covered with their mangled remains.
THE GREAT AUK.
The GREAT AUK (_Alca pinguinus_ or _impennis_). This extraordinary bird
occupied the northern regions of the Atlantic at the commencement of this
century, but is now apparently extinct, owing to the determined pursuit to
which it has been subjected. So abundant was it even a few years ago, that
it was used in Greenland and Iceland as an article of food--at present
its stuffed skin could not be bought for its weight in gold. This species
is described by Fleming as a British bird, and he assures us that it not
unfrequently bred in the Island of St. Kilda. The distinguishing mark of
this interesting species was the rudimentary condition of its wings, for
wings they must be called, presenting as they do all the parts met with
in ordinary birds, but yet so small as to be quite useless as instruments
of flight. The beak, as may be seen in stuffed specimens, is elongated
and very high, and gently curved along its culmen; the lower jaw is deep
and vaulted, but much compressed at its sides; its cutting edge from the
corner of the mouth to beyond the nostrils is nearly straight, but beyond
that bends downwards at an obtuse angle to the tip. The sides of the bill
present several furrows towards its anterior extremity: of these, six
or seven are on the upper, and nine or ten on the lower mandible. The
structure of the foot resembles that of other Auks, as does the plumage.
The tail is also composed of the same number of feathers. Its stature is
nearly that of a Goose; its length being about thirty inches; the wings
are not more than six and a half or seven and a half; the tail measures
three inches or three and a half. Upon the upper surface the plumage
is glossy black; on the throat blackish brown; an oval white patch is
situated immediately in front of the eye. The under side and a thin streak
across the tips of the secondary wing-quills are white. The winter plumage
is entirely white. The beak and feet are black. The history of a bird so
recently blotted out from the list of living creatures becomes a subject
of considerable interest, and several writers have endeavoured to rescue
from oblivion the principal facts recorded concerning its habits and mode
of life. Previous to these inquiries, it was generally understood that
the Great Auk inhabited all parts of the Frozen Ocean; such, however,
appears not to have been the case. We have no proof that it ever visited
the coast of Spitzbergen, nor has it been found on the shores of North
America even at very high latitudes. It is authentically stated that it
used formerly to breed on the Faroe Isles and was a frequent visitor to
the Hebrides. Brüllock obtained one from the latter islands in 1812, and
Fleming was present at the capture of another on St. Kilda's Isle in
1822. A dead specimen was washed ashore in Normandy in 1830, and this is
the furthest point south it is known to have reached. At one time it
seems to have been numerous upon the reefs and rocky islets contiguous to
Newfoundland. Over these rocks a formidable surf continually breaks, and
it was probably on account of their inaccessibility that these situations
were selected as safe breeding-places. Some of these reefs are still known
by names indicative of this circumstance, "Geirfuglasker," for example,
meaning the "Great Auk's Rock." In 1830, a collector of skins, of the
name of Goudmundson undertook two expeditions in search of these birds;
in the first he obtained twelve or thirteen, and in the second eight
specimens; the greater part of which found their way into museums. Others
were procured in the same manner till 1844, when two only, probably the
last of their race, were taken. We will briefly relate the particulars
of their capture, as they will throw some light upon the habits of these
birds. The expedition sent in search of them consisted of fourteen men,
who started in a boat from Kyrkjuebogr one evening in June, and came next
morning to the Island of Eldey, a steep rock rising precipitately from the
sea, and forming in one place a kind of platform, to which the sea rises
at high water-mark. On this platform were seen two Great Auks sitting
amidst a countless host of smaller species, and these at once became the
objects of attack. The frightened creatures made not the slightest attempt
at resistance, but immediately began to run down the cliff, their heads
outstretched and little wings displayed. Notwithstanding the shortness
of their legs they ran with considerable speed, but were, however, soon
overtaken--a sailor with outspread arms drove one of them into a corner
and held it fast--the other was seized close to the edge of the rock.
In 1858, Messrs. J. Wolley and Alfred Newton went to Iceland, but were
unable to land on the Auk Skua, or even to see a bird. They obtained bones
from the inhabitants.
Sir L. M'Clintock, of the _Fox_, says: "The Great Auk has not been
met with on any of the modern Arctic expeditions. I was told in South
Greenland twenty-five years ago, that a young specimen was obtained, but
am not sure of the fact. The resident Europeans are quite aware of the
value attached by naturalists to this bird, so have kept a sharp look-out
for it."
Mr. Proctor, of Durham Museum, writes: "One bird was bought in 1834 by the
Rev. J. Gisborne, for £8. I was in Iceland in 1833, and made every inquiry
for it, but never saw a single bird. I went to the northern parts of
Iceland in 1837 in search of it again, and travelled through the northern
parts as far as Gremsey Iceland--a small island forty miles north of the
mainland--but could not meet with it. I have never seen the bird alive,
neither have I had the eggs. A fisherman in Iceland had two birds and two
eggs in 1846. The birds were sent to Copenhagen; the eggs were broken."
"The Great Auk inhabits the Arctic seas, but is so diminishing in numbers
as now to be rarely seen. It extends from the Arctic Regions to the
Orkneys, in which islands, however, only three of four specimens (a
bird of this species, according to Mr. Bullock, was killed in Bucks)
have been seen in the memory of the oldest inhabitant. Two individuals
are recorded as having been taken at St. Kilda in 1822 and 1829; one in
Buckinghamshire; another found dead at Lundy Island, 1829; another taken
alive in 1834, off the coast of Waterford."
Attempts have been made to impose on collectors by the manufacture of
spurious Auks' eggs. They are considered as copies of the true egg, very
cleverly done.
[Illustration: GIANT PENGUINS.]
"The natives of the Orkneys," says Montagu, "informed Mr. Bullock, on his
tour through those islands several years ago, that only one male had made
its appearance for a long time, which had regularly visited Papa Westra
for several seasons. The female, which the natives call the Queen of the
Auks, was killed just before Mr. Bullock's arrival. The king, or male, Mr.
Bullock had the pleasure of chasing for several hours in a six-oared boat,
but without being able to kill him, though he frequently got near him, so
expert was the bird in its natural element, that it appeared impossible to
shoot him. The rapidity with which he pursued his course under water was
quite incredible." This bird was sent to Mr. Bullock about a fortnight
after his departure, and at the sale of his collection became the property
of the British Museum, which possesses in all two birds and two eggs.
[Illustration: THE COULTERNEB, OR ARCTIC PUFFIN.]
Mr. Champley, who has lately made a tour through Europe and collected
evidence of every bird and egg known to exist, computes the whole at
thirty-four birds and forty-two eggs, of which England has fourteen birds
and twenty-four eggs. Audubon tells us that "Mr. Henry Havell, the brother
of his engraver, when on his passage from New York to England hooked a
Great Auk on the banks of Newfoundland in extremely boisterous weather.
On being hauled on board it was left at liberty on deck. It walked very
awkwardly, often tumbling over, bit every one within reach of its powerful
bill, and refused food of all kinds. After continuing some days on board,
it was restored to its proper element."
In a letter from Hakluyt, written so far back as 1578, we learn the reason
of the rapid extinction of these strange birds; this writer states that
in a locality known as "Penguin Island" they were so numerous and so tame
that flocks of them were driven over a plank into a boat until the boat
was full. "The French," he adds, "are in the habit of salting the flesh of
these birds." We learn from various sources that these birds swam well,
with head erect, and neck thrown back; if alarmed, they immediately dived.
When upon land they sat bolt upright, and running held themselves erect,
walking with short steps; if alarmed, they at once throw themselves into
the sea. The voice is described as a feeble croak. These birds were never
known to defend their eggs, but when laid hold of would bite severely.
Their adroitness in the water was such that Mr. Bullock, as related by
Montagu, followed one of them about for hours in a six-oared boat without
being able to get near it. The food of the Great Auk consisted entirely of
fishes. The single egg laid by the female was deposited in June; in size,
this egg exceeded that of any other European species, being upwards of
five inches long; the shell was thick, lustreless, coarse, and of a dirty
white, variously marked with brown and black. The male and female, we are
told, sat alternately upon their eggs: the young were at first covered
with dark grey down, and soon found their way into the water.
THE COULTERNEB, OR ARCTIC PUFFIN.
The COULTERNEB, or ARCTIC PUFFIN (_Mormon fratercula_), one of the most
remarkable birds we have yet described, although an inhabitant of northern
regions, is a regular summer visitant to our own, where it is known
by a great variety of names all indicative of the strangeness of its
appearance, such as the "Pope," "Mullet," "Sea Parrot," "Jammie," and the
"Norrie." The Coulterneb is at once recognisable from all its brethren
by the peculiar structure of its beak, the shortness of its neck, and
the shape of its head. Its bill, when seen in profile, has a somewhat
triangular shape, being high at the base, and remarkably compressed at
its sides; at its origin it is covered with a thick fold of skin which is
prolonged around the corner of the mouth; its anterior is deeply furrowed,
rather obtuse at its tip, and very sharply edged. In this last respect
the beak cannot be compared with that of any other bird. The feet are
three-toed, strongly webbed, and provided with sharp claws, the points
of which are turned sideways; the small feeble wing is rounded at its
extremity, and the short tail composed of sixteen feathers. The plumage on
the upper parts of the body is short, thick, compact, and smooth, whilst
underneath it is somewhat longer, and more fur-like in appearance. The
top of the head, a band around the neck, and the entire mantle are black;
the cheeks and throat ash-grey. The under parts of the body are white
shading to grey or black at the sides. The eye is dark brown, eye-ring
coral-red, beak pale red at its tip, lighter in the furrows, and blueish
grey towards the base; the corner of the mouth is orange-yellow, and the
foot vermilion-red. The young birds are distinguishable by the comparative
shallowness of their beaks, and the inferior brilliancy of their colours.
This strange bird is twelve inches long, and twenty-three to twenty-three
and a half broad; the wing measures six inches and a half to six and
three-quarters, and the tail two inches and three-quarters.
The Coulternebs inhabit the northern seas as far as 82° north latitude,
and are met with equally upon the northern coasts of Europe, Asia, and
America; a few pairs are known to breed in Heligoland; further north they
become more abundant, and in the Frozen Ocean they swim in countless
multitudes; indeed, millions of them may be seen in the summer-time
crowding the vicinity of their breeding-places. In Great Britain they
appear on the coast about April, and betake themselves to various stations
for the purpose of breeding, frequenting for this purpose the cliffs or
turfy ground above them, and occasionally making use of rabbit-burrows.
The Isles of Man, Anglesea, and Wight, are all frequented by them, and
also the Scilly Isles, which in the fourteenth century were held under
the king for the annual payment of six shillings and eightpence or 300
Puffins. The Yorkshire coast, the Fern Islands, and the coasts and islands
of Scotland are also frequented by them.
"On the coast of Labrador," says Audubon, "is Perroquet Island, known
to all the cod-fishers, and celebrated for the number of Puffins that
annually breed there. As we rowed towards it, although we found the water
literally covered with thousands of these birds, the number that flew
over and around the green island seemed much greater, insomuch that one
might have imagined half the Puffins in the world had assembled there.
This far-famed isle is of considerable extent; its shores are guarded
by numberless blocks of rock, and within a few yards of it the water is
several fathoms in depth. The ground rises in the form of an amphitheatre
to the height of about seventy feet, the greatest being from north to
south, and its southern extremity fronting the Strait of Belleisle. For
every burrow in the island previously visited by us, there seemed to be
a hundred here; on every crag and stone stood a Puffin, at the entrance
of every hole another, and yet the sea was covered and the air filled by
them. * * * The burrows were all inhabited by young birds, of different
ages and sizes, and clouds of Puffins flew over our heads each holding a
fish by the head. * * * While flying the Puffins emitted a deep croaking
noise, but they never dropped the fish, and many of them, when brought
down by a shot, still held their prey fast. I beheld with concern the
extraordinary affection manifested by these birds towards each other, for
whenever one fell dead or wounded on the water its mate or a stranger
immediately alighted by its side, swam around it, pushed it with its bill,
as if to urge it either to fly or dive, and seldom would leave it until an
oar was raised to knock it on the head, when, at last aware of the danger,
it would plunge below in an instant. Those which fell wounded immediately
ran with speed to some hole and dived into it, on which no further effort
was made to secure them. Those which happened to be caught alive in the
hand bit most severely, and scratched with their claws at such a rate,
that we were glad to let them escape. The burrows here communicated in
various ways with each other, so that the whole island was perforated as
if by a multitude of subterranean labyrinths, over which one could not run
without danger of falling at almost every step. The voices of the young
sounded beneath our feet like voices from the grave, and the stench was
extremely disagreeable, so that as soon as our boats were filled with
birds we were glad to get away. During the whole of our visit the birds
never left the place, but constantly attended to their avocations. Here
one would rise from beneath, there within a few yards of us another would
alight with a fish and dive into its burrow, or feed the young that stood
waiting at the entrance. The young birds were far from being friendly with
each other, and those we carried with us kept continually fighting so long
as we kept them alive. They used their yet extremely small and slender
bills with great courage and pertinacity, and their cries resembled the
wailings of young whelps. The smaller individuals were fed by the parents
by regurgitation, or received little pieces of fish which were placed in
their mouths; the larger picked up the fish that were dropped before them,
but almost all of them seemed to crawl to the entrance of the hole for the
purpose of being fed. In all the burrows that communicated with others, a
round place was scooped out on one side of the avenue, in the form of an
oven, whilst in those that were single this oven-like place was found at
the end, and was larger than the corridor. All the passages were flattish
above and rounded beneath as well as on the sides. In many instances we
found two birds sitting each on its egg in the same hole."
Their brood consists of but a single egg, about the size of that of a
Duck; of this the shell is coarse and uneven, and the colour pure white,
at least until they become soiled and dirty. Both sexes sit upon the eggs
by turns, but how long the process of incubation lasts we are unable to
state; some observers say five weeks. The dress of the newly-hatched
young is composed of a thick down, of a light grey colour, spotted with
coal-black. During the first day or two of its life, its cry is piping and
very sad; but the note soon gets stronger, yet it is not till they are
fledged that they learn to utter the shrill peculiar cry of the old birds.
The young grow slowly, and after the lapse of a month are able to leave
their holes, and, under the guidance of their parents, plunge into the sea.
Both parents evince the greatest affection for their young one; they go
miles away in order to procure it food, and will face any danger in its
defence. Sometimes, if the female is lost, the male will take upon himself
the entire charge of his nestling, defending it with really serious bites
of his formidable beak, and indefatigably providing for it the means of
subsistence. Should their first egg be taken away, the mother lays a
second, and, if deprived of that, a third, generally in the same hole.
If both parents are destroyed, other birds will supply their places, and
voluntarily devote themselves both to the incubation of the egg and the
rearing of the young. The owners of the localities where these birds build
make them a source of considerable profit; they always rob the birds of
their first egg, but generally leave the second to be hatched and reared;
as soon as it is nearly fledged, however, it likewise is taken possession
of, and thousands upon thousands are thus killed and salted for winter
food.
In the Fern Islands, there being no rabbit-holes, these Puffins are
obliged to dig their own burrows. According to Mr. Selby, this operation
is commenced in May, a hole being generally excavated to a depth of
three feet, often in a curving direction, and occasionally with two
entrances. So intent are the birds upon their work of digging, which
is generally performed by the males, that they will sometimes allow
themselves to be captured by the hand; the same authority states that a
similar indifference to what is passing around them is noticeable during
the business of incubation. In St. Kilda, where their return is hailed
with joy as affording an abundant supply of food, they are taken both by
hand and by means of a horsehair noose, attached to the end of a rod. The
Coulternebs can scarcely be called birds of passage, although during the
winter season many of them journey far south; strictly speaking, they
only migrate from their breeding-places to the open sea, and hence back
again to the cliffs and islands, where they rear their young. Their life,
indeed, may be considered as consisting of two epochs, viz., their summer
residence upon the rocks, and their winter life upon the ocean; of this
latter part of their existence we have still much to learn. Our first
acquaintance with the Coulternebs began in the vicinity of Loffoden, and
the first circumstance which arrested our attention was the manner of
their flight over the sea, keeping so close to the waves that they had
rather the appearance of skating over the surface than of flying through
the air. The bird, in fact, in these peregrinations avails itself both
of its feet and wings, sliding as it were quickly from wave to wave,
half flying and half swimming, striking the air with its wings and the
water with its feet, and advancing by a sort of undulating course that
exactly follows the contour of the rising and sinking waves. During this
remarkable kind of progression the beak seems to be employed in cleaving
the water, reminding the spectator of the Scissor-bill (_Rhynchops_).
When it rises from the waves, however, it flies straight on with untiring
wings, and moves so rapidly that the sportsman who first tries his hand at
shooting them generally fails to hit the mark. In its mode of swimming,
the Coulterneb differs altogether from any other bird of its race; it
rides lighter upon the wave, or sinks at will to any required depth, dives
without the slightest apparent exertion, and without even disturbing the
water around it, It will remain submerged for upwards of three minutes,
and, if we believe the statements of some observers, will plunge to a
depth of thirty fathoms. Upon dry land it walks well, but with a hopping
vacillating step; rises at once from its seat into the air, and alights
from its flight without difficulty. When at rest it usually sits upright
upon the soles of its feet and tail, or else it lies flat on its belly
upon the surface of the rock. When sitting erect, its head and neck are in
constant motion, as though it were perpetually looking for something that
it had lost, giving it a most comical appearance. Its voice is a sort of
deep scream at times it resembles the sound made by a man when yawning, or
by a discontented dog. The food of the Coulternebs consists of crustaceans
and small fishes; but it is principally with the latter that they feed
their young. What may be the special use of the curiously-constructed beak
it is not easy to say; all that we know upon the subject is that they are
able to use it with great adroitness, both while procuring their usual
food, and when lopping the green herbage, which in summer scantily clothes
the rocky fastnesses where they rear their young. As a weapon of defence,
both from the sharpness of its edges and the strength of its muscles, it
is really formidable.
[Illustration: _Plate 40, Cassell's Book of Birds_
FRATERCULA ARCTICA ____ PUFFIN
(_about ½ Nat. size_)]
* * * * *