A dictionary of British birds : reprinted from Montagu's Ornithological dictionary, and incorporating the additional species described by Selby; Yarrell, in all three editions, and in natural-history journals / compiled and edited by Edward Newman.
- George Montagu
- Date:
- 1866
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: A dictionary of British birds : reprinted from Montagu's Ornithological dictionary, and incorporating the additional species described by Selby; Yarrell, in all three editions, and in natural-history journals / compiled and edited by Edward Newman. Source: Wellcome Collection.
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![furrows, as in a specimen now before us; that nearest the base white; irides hazel, The top of the head, taking in the eyes. ])iu't of the neck, back, wings, and tail oi'e black; the lesser quill-feathers tipped with white; the side of the head, fore part of the neck, and whole under side of the body white; legs brown-black. Dr. La- tliain, in his ‘ Synopsis,’ mentions his sus- picion that this is no other than the Eazorbill immatured; and, in his ‘ Index Ornithologicus,’ gives it as the young of that bii-d. We cannot, however, but difier in opinion from that excellent ornitholo- gist, by late obsen'ations on the young of the Eazorbill, before and after they could fly, which differ only from the parent bird in having no furrows in the bill; being destitute of the white line from the bill to the eye, and no white on the secondary quiU-feathers; but the whole head and upper pai’t of the neck is black; which is the essential difi’erence between that bird and the BlackbiUed Auk. This is only found on oui’ coasts in winter. The Ea- zorbill breeds wnth us, and retires in the autumn, at which time none are to be found with the wliite cheeks and throat amongst the myriads that haunt om- c]ifis. It is hardly possible, then, to conceive that the young, who are in their first fea- thers so like the old ones, should become more unlike them in winter, which is con- trary to nature ; for observation has taught us, that aE birds become more like their parents at every moulting; so that to make these birds one and the same spe- cies, we must conclude both old and young change their plumage in winter : but this we have no reason at present to believe. And indeed it is probable that whatever change may take place, that singular Ene in the matm’ed Eazorbill, running from the bill to the eye, never varies; and which constitutes one of the greatest character- istic distinctions. The black part of the plumage of this bird is invariably deeper coloured than in the Eazorbill, paiticulariy aborrt the head. From these observations wo are inclined to give each a separate place in this work as distinct species. Supplement.—In or-der to str-engthen orrr former opinion concerming the dis- tinction we conceive to exist between this and the Eazorbill, and as far as possible remove any discordance in the opinion of others, it will be proper to detail our more recent observations on the bird in ques- tion. In the year 1802, on the 2.3rd of January, a vfiriety of this bird was shot on the south coast of Devon. It weighed be- tween sixteen and seventeen orrnces : the furrow at the base of the bill was w-hito : from the base of the upper'mandible to the eye was an obscure line of white feathers : the forehead and crown black; sides of the head behind the eyes, extend- ing round the nape dingy white : the up- per part of the body and wings, as usual, black : sides of the chin speckled dusky ; the feathers of the throat white, slightly tipped with dusky : neck, bi’east, and rrp- per par-t of the belly slightly tipped with sooty-brown, giving the feathers a grey appeai’ance, as if they had been soEed by some extraneous matter. Another variety ■was shot on the 3rd of February. This weighed twenty ounces: the length six- teen inches: breadth twenty-eight inches: the bill was furrowed, and had one white line across each mandible on both sides : inside of the mouth yellow : the irides hazel: the eleven first quills were all black, the rest tipped with white, about sixteen in number: from the bill to the eye an obscure line of speckled feathers : legs quite black, and in other respects hlie the last. A third specimen, killed on the IGth of February, 1808, had its bill desti- tute of furrows, and not the smallest ap- pear'ance of any white hne between the biU and the eye. There is nothing very remarkable in the trachea of this species ; it is rather comirressed, and the last ring at the divarication is very firm and bony. From the preceding description of the variety to which this bh'd is incident, we might be led to conclude that all the in- termediate stages might be found between this and the Eazorbill, that would reduce them to the same species; but that is not the case. The weight and length of this bird are invariably much less, and the dark coloru’ of the head and neck is never observed to possess that rusty tinge, the character of the EazorbiE in all seasons. It ■will also be observed, that in the young of the Eazorbill, from the time it shows its nesthng feathers to the time of its au- tumnal migration, the whole head and upper pari of the neck ar-e dirsky. But there is a stronger mark of distinction than even these, observable in their ha- bits, for we ai’o informed by Fabricius, in his ‘ Farrna Greenland,’ that these bfrds are in gr-eater plenty in that country, during the breeding season, than the EazorbiU, and that they disperse in win- ter. If this is really the case, and there is no reason to doubt such good authority, it being impossible to be mistaken in tire bird, the matter is cleor-ly decided; for if the Blackbilled Auk ■rvas really no other than the young Eazorbill imrnatrrred in plumage, and continuing so till after the breeding season of the second year-, surely such imperfect birds would be eqrrally as plentifirl amongst our s^warnrs of Eazor- bills, duriirg summer as iir Greenland : whereas, on the contrary, no such ocertr-](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b28089935_0031.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
