BLACK GUILLEMOT; SEA PIGEON
27. Cepphus grylle. 13 inches.
These birds are very abundant about the rocky islands from Maine northward. They may be seen sitting in rows on the edges of the rocks, or pattering along the water as they rise in flight, from its surface, at a boat’s approach. In summer the plumage is entirely black, except the large white patches on the wings; legs red; eyes brown. This species has the bases of the greater coverts black, while they are white in Mandt Guillemot (C. mandtii—No. 28), which is found from Labrador northward. In winter, these birds are mottled gray and white above, and white below, but the patches still show.
Notes.—A shrill, piercing, squealing whistle.
Nest.—Guillemots lay two eggs upon the bare rock or gravel in crevices or under piles of boulders where they are difficult to get at. They are grayish or greenish-white, beautifully and heavily blotched with black and brownish (2.40 × 1.60).
Range.—Breeds on coasts of North Atlantic from Maine northward; winters south to Long Island.
