Plate CCCXXXIX. Male and Female.
Bill black, feet pale flesh-coloured, webs dusky, inside of mouth
light yellow; head, upper part of neck, and all the upper surface
glossy bluish-black; a small spot on the upper eyelid, another on the
lower, several longitudinal streaks on the scapulars, and a bar along
the tips of the secondary quills, together with the breast and
abdomen, white; feathers on the sides under the wings with the inner
webs dusky, lower wing-coverts blackish-grey. In winter, the throat,
and lower parts of the cheeks white, sides and fore part of the neck
white, the latter barred with blackish-grey; the other parts as in
summer, but the black duller.
_Male_, 7-1/8, 14-1/4.
Rare and only during winter along the coast of the United States, from
New York to Maine. More abundant along the coast of Nova Scotia, and
far at sea. Breeds on the Arctic coasts.
Little Auk, Alca Alle, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. ix. p. 94.
Uria Alle, Bonap. Syn. p. 425.
Little Guillemot, Uria Alle, Swains. & Rich. F. Bor. Amer. v.
ii. p. 479.
Little Auk or Sea Dove, Nutt. Man. v. ii. p. 531.
Little Guillemot, Uria Alle, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iv. p. 304.
GENUS V. URIA, Lath. GUILLEMOT.
Bill generally shorter than the head, stout, compressed, tapering,
acute; upper mandible with the dorsal line slightly arched; the ridge
narrow, broader at the base, the sides sloping, the edges sharp and
inflected, the tip a little decurved, with a slight notch; nasal
groove broad, feathered; nostrils at its lower edge, subbasal,
lateral, longitudinal, linear; lower mandible with the angle rather
long, narrow, the dorsal line ascending and straight, the back very
narrow, the sides nearly flat, the edges sharp and inflected, the tip
acute. Head large, oblong; neck short and thick; body stout,
elongated, rather depressed. Feet short, placed far behind; the
greater part of the tibia concealed, its lower part bare; tarsus
short, stout, compressed, anteriorly scutellate; toes three, of
moderate length, middle toe longest, outer little shorter, scutellate,
connected by entire webs. Claws small, slightly arched, compressed,
rather acute. Plumage dense, very soft, blended. Wings rather short,
narrow, acute; primary quills curved, tapering, the first and second
longest; secondaries short, rounded. Tail very short, rounded, of
twelve or more feathers.