Part 57

PUFFIN Fratercula arctica (Linnæus)

One of the most fascinating points in connection with this quaint bird is that for at least six months in every year we know nothing, or comparatively nothing, of its habits or whereabouts.

Towards the middle of April it suddenly appears at certain well-known haunts and proceeds forthwith to set up housekeeping.

A hole or cranny in a rock or, where possible, a rabbit-burrow is fixed upon as its home, and the same entrance is often shared by several pairs as well as the rabbit.

A weird little creature is our friend as he sits bolt upright on his doorstep, turning round every now and again to bill and coo with his mate, their large orange-red beaks and feet showing up brightly against their black-and-white plumage. The wings are so short that this bird finds some difficulty in rising from a flat surface, and when on the wing will often fly round in spiral curves in order to reach the summit of the cliff. In flight the legs are held spread out behind on either side of the very short tail and help to act as rudders.

The large single white egg being laid, both birds take their turn at incubation, and invariably sit with their head facing the entrance, and woe betide any one who by mistake enters the wrong hole, for their beaks are exceeding sharp and powerful, and they cling on with all the tenacity of a bull-dog.

They feed chiefly by night and spend the day resting on the water or at the mouth of their burrows. The food consists of small fry, and when feeding their young as many as three or four fish are caught and carried up in their bill at the same time. If approached by boat, they remain till one is just on them, and then suddenly dive. Under the water their progress is extremely rapid, and both wings and feet are brought into play, but especially the former.

The young are clad in very thick long down of a dark smoke-grey colour. As they grow they will often move about the passage, running to the entrance and meeting their parents, but never venturing outside, while if they meet another young one bound on a similar errand a stern fight ensues.

Not, however, till they are fully fledged do they leave the burrow and then immediately take to the water, on which they are quite at home, swimming and diving with ease from the very first.

The parents, whose plumage has lately been showing signs of wear, now commence to moult, and shed at the same time the ornate sheath at the base of the bill and over the eye, while the beak itself becomes dark and the rosette at the corners of the mouth shrinks. A few more days and by the end of August they have gone--where? They are never seen, and the only evidence of their existence is the occasional occurrence of a dead or starving individual washed ashore or blown inland by a winter's gale.

The head, nape, and the whole of the upper parts and a broad collar round the throat are black. Scales of the head and under parts white. Legs deep orange. Bill chiefly red and orange. The young resemble the parents, except that the beak is much smaller and the legs are pale flesh-coloured. The mode of growth of their wings is quite distinct from that of the Guillemot, the primaries being grown simultaneously with the rest of the plumage. Length 13 in.; wing 6 in.

THE GREAT NORTHERN DIVER Colymbus glacialis, Linnæus

During autumn and winter this species is by no means rare along our coasts. It does not remain to breed on any part of Great Britain, but breeds to the north-west in Iceland, Greenland, and North America.

It feeds entirely on fish, and the adults generally keep well out at sea, unless the weather be stormy, so that the individuals that frequent our shores are mostly immature.

In autumn the young bird has the feathers of the back greyish brown with paler margins; under parts whitish. Bill brownish horn colour.

The adult in its breeding dress has the back black, each feather having two square white spots; the head and neck are black with a purplish gloss, except for two crescentic bands on the fore neck, which are longitudinally striped with white and black. After the autumn moult the whole of the upper parts are pale slaty blue, the head and nape dusky grey, chin and throat white. This plumage is, however, worn for an exceedingly short time and is rarely complete, signs of the new breeding dress appearing before all old feathers have been cast.

The winter feathers of the head and neck are downy. Length 30·32 in.; wing 13·14 in.

THE WHITE-BILLED NORTHERN DIVER Colymbus adamsi, G. R. Grey

This species breeds in the Far North, wandering south in winter; two or three examples have been taken on our shores, and it is probable that owing to its resemblance to the preceding species it has been often overlooked.

The chief characteristic is the bill, which is yellowish white at all seasons, and the lower mandible is also markedly upturned. The white streaks on the transverse throat bands are much fewer in number than in the preceding species. Length about 33 in.; wing 15·1 in.

THE BLACK-THROATED DIVER Colymbus arcticus, Linnæus

The Black-throated Diver is very rare in England, and the few examples that are obtained are usually immature. In Ireland it has only been taken at long intervals, but in Scotland it breeds locally throughout the north and west.

The site chosen for the nest is usually an islet in some large loch, and the eggs, two in number, are olive brown, sparsely spotted with black and brown. The young when first hatched are of a uniform smoky grey-brown.

In its habits it closely resembles the next species. In summer the back is black, spotted with white, but the spots are not so uniformly distributed as in the former species. Crown and hind neck ash grey, chin and throat black, margined with short black and white stripes and a small band of similar stripes towards the upper end of the patch. Under parts white. The sexes are alike, but the females are slightly smaller. After the autumn moult the chin and throat are white and the upper parts ash brown.

The young bird resembles the young of the Great Northern Diver, but is much smaller and the neck is greyer. Length 27 in.; wing 11·75 in.

THE RED-THROATED DIVER Colymbus septentrionalis, Linnæus

This species is the commonest of the Divers and may be found along all our coasts during the winter months. In the breeding season, except for a few pairs that may still be found on some of the Irish loughs, it is restricted to Scotland so far as our islands are concerned.

The eggs are laid close to the margin of some small tarn or on an islet in a large loch, but the former situation is the one preferred; they are elongate and olive brown, spotted with umber. The young leave the nest as soon as they are hatched, but they are not very strong divers at first and receive all their food from their parents; in fact this species often nests on ponds destitute of fish, and journeys several miles to the sea or large loch daily for its food. If the nest be approached the sitting bird glides off and dives without a ripple, reappearing again some way off. The note is a loud and mournful "kark, kark, kakera."