. Elements of zoölogy. Zoology. 240 BACKBONED ANIMALS. like feathers. The bill is flattened and knife-like, the feet webbed, and placed so far back that upon shore the birds stand erect. The bones of this and the preceding order are solid. Auk (Alcida).—The great auk* (Alca impennis) (Fig. 279) is remarkable as having become extinct since 1870, and hardly seventy perfect specimens are known in the world. Its length was about three feet, that of the wings four inches. The bill was powerful, wings small, the back black and breast white. They laid a single egg, about as large as that of a swan, s
. Elements of zoölogy. Zoology. 240 BACKBONED ANIMALS. like feathers. The bill is flattened and knife-like, the feet webbed, and placed so far back that upon shore the birds stand erect. The bones of this and the preceding order are solid. Auk (Alcida).—The great auk* (Alca impennis) (Fig. 279) is remarkable as having become extinct since 1870, and hardly seventy perfect specimens are known in the world. Its length was about three feet, that of the wings four inches. The bill was powerful, wings small, the back black and breast white. They laid a single egg, about as large as that of a swan, spotted with small, irregu- lar blotches. The little auk (Simorhynchuspusillus), common in the Arctic re- gions, is the smallest spe- cies known, being only sev- en inches in length. They lay on the ice or rocks a small, bluish - white egg. Their cry is Roit-tet-tet-iet- tet, continually repeated. They are found in large numbers in northern Nor- way. The Guillemots (Urid) (Fig. 280, 5), six species of which are known in the Arctic waters, have long, straight, pointed, conical bills. The general color is dirty black. They breed in vast quantities on inaccessible cliffs, always facing the sea. A single egg is laid, and, according to Sir John Richardson, * Three hundred years ago they were caught by the boat-load by the early fishermen, and now the preserved specimens are so rare that $650 was paid for one in the Museum of Natural History, New York. It formerly ranged the coast of Maine, where its bones are now some- times found in the Fig. 279.—Great, auk, a bird that has become extinct within fourteen Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly resemble the original Holder, Charles Frederick, 1851-1915; Holder, Joseph Bassett, 1824-1888, joint author. New York : D. Appleton and company
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjectzoology, bookyear1884
