Guillemot

Guillemot, any bird of the genus Vria, of the Auk family (Alcidce), with eight species, representing in arctic and temperate regions the Penguins of the antarctic seas. The sharp bill is of moderate length, the wings and tail are short, the legs are placed so far back that the birds on land assume a nearly erect position, and their walk is ungainly; the hinder toe is absent, and the three toes in front are connected by a membrane. They swim and dive with great facility, using the half-opened wings as paddles" in the latter process, but the flight is heavy. They feed on crustaceans and fish-fry, and are eminently social, breeding together in large companies. The single pegtop-like egg is deposited on the bare cliff, and the male shares in the duties of incubation and the care of the young. The Common, or Foolish, Guillemot (U. troile), about eighteen inches long, is abundant all round our coast. The plumage is dark brown above, the lower part of the neck in front and all the under surface is white in summer, and in winter the white spreads to the head. The eggs taken at Lundy are sent to Bristol for clarifying wine, and many of those taken on the Yorkshire coast are used in Leeds in the preparation of patent leather. U. bruennichi, doubtfully British, has a stouter bill and the secondaries tipped with white, so as to form a bar across the wings. U. grylle, the Black Guillemot, is smaller than the common species, has the summer plumage deep black glossed with green and a white patch on the wings.