. Key to North American birds. Containing a concise account of every species of living and fossil bird at present known from the continent north of the Mexican and United States boundary, inclusive of Greenland and lower California, with which are incorporated General ornithology: an outline of the structure and classification of birds; and Field ornithology, a manual of collecting, preparing, and preserving birds. Birds; Birds; 1887. Fig. 556. — Common Guillemot, or Murre, nearly nat. size. (From Elliot.) ; inner do. ; bill along cnlmen ; gape ; gonys ; depth at base ;
. Key to North American birds. Containing a concise account of every species of living and fossil bird at present known from the continent north of the Mexican and United States boundary, inclusive of Greenland and lower California, with which are incorporated General ornithology: an outline of the structure and classification of birds; and Field ornithology, a manual of collecting, preparing, and preserving birds. Birds; Birds; 1887. Fig. 556. — Common Guillemot, or Murre, nearly nat. size. (From Elliot.) ; inner do. ; bill along cnlmen ; gape ; gonys ; depth at base ; width European and American coasts and islands of the N. Atlantic, to or beyond 80° N.; on the Amer. side breeding from Nova Scotia northward ; in winter to the Middle States. Myriads of murres congregate to breed on rocky islands, incubating their single eggs as closely together as they can find standing-room on the shelves of the cliffs ; their ranks serried on ledge after ledge, and clouds of birds whirling through the air. The eggs, so numerous as to have commercial value, are notorious for their variability in coloration. The size is great for that of the bird, averaging X , run- ning unusually from to , with half as much variation in breadth. The ground color ranges from creamy to pure white, then through earthy, grayish, bluish, or greenish-white to sea-green and every darker shade of green. The markings of the creamy and white varieties are generally spots and blotches of different shades of browu, pretty uniformly dispersed, and eggs of this type resemble those of the razor-bill, but may usually be distinguished by larger size Pig. 557. — Common Guillemot, nat. size. (in length) and more pyriform shape. The green eggs are endlessly varied, in pattei'n of the markings, but are normally more streaked in sharp angular zigzag lines, inextricably confused, reminding one of Chinese literature. L. t. califor'nica. (Fig. 558.) Califoenian Guillemo
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjectbirds, bookyear1887
