d Act,
perhaps occasionally enjoy a day's "Barbeloting," that I could not help
quoting as much of the paper as would be sufficient to point out the
general nature of the change.
The Puffin is included in Professor Ansted's list, but marked as
occurring only in Guernsey and Sark. There are two specimens in the
Museum; one in the ordinary summer plumage, and one apparently in the
winter plumage above described; but it is difficult to be quite certain
on the subject, as it has been smeared over with bird-stuffer's paint,
probably with the view of making it as like the ordinary summer plumage
as possible.
159. RAZORBILL. _Alca torda_, Linnaeus. French, "Pingouin
macroptere."--The Razorbill is not by any means numerous in the Channel
Islands, but a few breed about Ortack, and, as has been said before, in
Alderney, but nowhere else; and they are by no means so numerous as the
Guillemot. It is resident throughout the year, though perhaps more
common in the autumn than at any other time. Mr. Harvey Brown,[30]
however, mentions seeing a small flock swim by with the tide, at the
north-end of Herm, in January. Mr. MacCulloch writes me word he has a
note of a Razorbill Auk shot in Guernsey on the 14th February, 1847;
this, of course, is only a young Razorbill of the previous year, which
had not at that time fully developed its bill.
The Razorbill is included in Professor Ansted's list, but only marked as
occurring in Guernsey. There are two Razorbills in the Museum, one in
summer and one in winter plumage.
160. CORMORANT. _Phalacrocorax carbo_, Linnaeus. French, "Grand
cormoran."--The Cormorant is by no means common in the Islands; I have
never seen it about Guernsey, though I have seen one or two near Herm; I
do not know that it breeds anywhere in the Islands, except at Burhou,
and there only one or two pairs breed. I was shown the nesting-place
just at the opening of a small sort of cavern; there was, however, only
the remains of one egg that had been hatched, and probably the young
gone off with its parents. I, however, received an adult bird and a
young bird of the year, shot in the harbour at Alderney in August of
that year, and those are the only Channel Island specimens of the
Cormorant that I have seen.
Professor Ansted includes the Cormorant in his list, and marks it as
occurring only in Guernsey and Sark. There is no specimen at present in
the Museum.
161. SHAG. _Phalacrocorax graculus_, Linnaeus. Fren
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