p u f f i n .
M o rm o n E r a te r c u l a , {Ternrroj
jyuUceLfy CSkBmjaM
"Gbh. C h a r . Hawk sh o rte r th an th e head, o f g re a te r d e p th th an len g th , and v e ry commva*
jjo tb 'mandibles arch ed , tuiuroweci, a n d notched a t th e p oint, th e Tidge o f th e u p p e r i
r acu te an d elevated a t *!» ©rig’ir. Jtfmfiyfo lateral, marg in al, iia e a rj naked, almost wh<
closed b y a n ak ed mem b ran e? Tarsi short, rea rin g . Feet pal mated. Ibes i l r&e bei
o n ly , th e two. in n e r nails much booked, ; p in g * s i , fir s t JB second yuM-feathers zqi
' ’o r n e a rly sp. -
IM.JF.FIN.
Mormop Fratei’cula, Temm. 5
m dL.it jLe Macarea.» moine. .
cannot follow .her rib
part, and the more ijiclieed dtail v
V, g these n ' i « s l i p
hîà'd^lâiiw)»' #f'J» the. fora»
Nature, appears to indulge
j are not to stgH*ose\-^beciHi8ie '
motive,-—that she ever acts a blind or random j
the .more closely we examine herope#uk>it5,
o f the bill o f this bin! #.e are at $ !/>*.■; v-> -vi.-nun* dw
1 by birds whose food and nuitfoer» 'art .idlipgefeliwr the same. ,,
•On a find glance at the'Puffin, '.«<• cfo$t£i; fail to be ffpick a «in- -i. . >-d Is*.•«•;
and,by the-strange .*kape but brilliant colour of its heal;, Which imparts a swig’idar 'aspect' to die physiognomy
of this inhabitant of the ocean 5 where,,as if to befia- if« round and awkward liirft«*, it dismays great agility
, midan aifO.vprlikatpiwkHetsa o f tttodcin ;*-4t8 beak, deepjjcompressecl', and pointed with*a sharp ridge nod bed,
affords the beau ideal of an instrumeot for cottsmg through the water,—a eircumsteisi'ce tfee toure 'rkeeessttry.
when. considered in connexion "with, a form o f body by no means *p; well adapted for dfitiag'with cajto &pd
•.".vigour us is. possessed'by many others. The. feathers however are thick, close and smooth,
of th eU se of tlic'beak as a water-cutting insteumenfc, it is a weapon'pf:destruptipn to innumerable hordes
o f fry and smaller fishes which swim near the surface of the .water. These, at least during* the breeding,
season, arc retained by dexterous management between the mandibles, till a row of little pendent victims is
arranged along each side.-their heads firmly wedged in the beak, and their tails and.bodies hanging outside.
Thus loaded, it* we Ha%e fre.*.jr.eotJ>- ourselves witnessed, the Puffin files home to its mate or newly hatched
offspring. The w# themselves very soon readyfor the water, where, bu g before they are
. capable o f flight, iMV us-rs iH'. a0etsi: it«, company with their. paretif» diving sporting t«i
elemem. The old-bird* eriwee great egga.rd for their you? attending hen-
the utmost anxiety on the approai :h of daager.
The Puffin has an extensive range, abauntlingsifc Eheseasoti p f inc'dwtion on theTQCky parts o f our coasts,
, especially the high cliffs tend 'pointed rocks of tlic b it of IV igfci. the rugged and c6ast of Wales,
Scotland, the Orkneys and Hebrides, as well a** on the northern shores ot the Kiiropean aiid i^mericinv Continents.
It does not however iio ariahly resort' to ererices and lodges of rocks, but is known opcasipriallyi,
during the breeding season, to inhabit deserted rabbit-biirrovrav d r : holes in fche.gtouud adjacent to the
sea, within which, without constructing aey nest, | p:% »sits one 01* two eggs o f »-uniform didl whste, 'Hie
|i covered w’ith.long and fine down o f a sooty black: ilteir.biJt, as Baigh* he expected, is not
so folly developed either as to size or colour, nevertheless it bear* thus characteristic j Parity So striking is
the adult bird; the sides also o f the mandibles do not posse«» the deep fnrrows which appear at more advanced
•eiieral plimn*ge'assimilates to that of the adult, but is move obscure in its mark-
birds present no external sexual differences, the colour of the whole of the upper surface
being o f a dark brown, tncitotitg^to black with coppery reflections ; a collar of fclte; satcafe colour passing round
the neck; the cheeks white, shaded iow-ipdy the lower parts with delicate gray; the whole of the under
Wirface white; the bill bluejsh ash at its base passing off to » bright reddish orange, with three ohiicct: furniws
on the upper and two oh the lower mandible •. the gape covered by ;i. naked puckered membrtyw : imfo« blur ■
gray 5 rim round the eye orange-; above ¡«id below da: eye, on Iff: edges of the eycl«T. -ct sreaB biMlie.i (« a.
horny consistence and a deep sfate-colour, that below the eye being narrow and .iwo- &;.•■! in H»:
use is not known; leg» orange. Total length eleven to fcwehre ilftche». Tbeiv b>id ciwisistayif-fhhes ar«l
ran t positions, t