. The Canadian field-naturalist. . Figure 2. Showing the deformed wing and a normal wing. ed foot was found on Gull Island, Witless Bay, Newfoundland, A superficial examination of the foot (Figure 1) would lead one to believe that the deformity was the result of an error in the developmental processes of the bird, as the toes seemed to bear rudimentary claws. When the undersurface of the foot was examined an extra triangular piece of skin was found extending from the first joint of the second toe to the tip of the fourth toe, forming a small sac of skin with the normal web. The skin was then r
. The Canadian field-naturalist. . Figure 2. Showing the deformed wing and a normal wing. ed foot was found on Gull Island, Witless Bay, Newfoundland, A superficial examination of the foot (Figure 1) would lead one to believe that the deformity was the result of an error in the developmental processes of the bird, as the toes seemed to bear rudimentary claws. When the undersurface of the foot was examined an extra triangular piece of skin was found extending from the first joint of the second toe to the tip of the fourth toe, forming a small sac of skin with the normal web. The skin was then removed so that the underlying bony structures might be examined. It was found that the foot had in fact been severed at some time during the animal's life. The second toe having been removed at the second joint, while the third toe had been severed mm. beyond the first joint. The wound left when the foot was removed had healed completely, the bird being completely normal in every other respect. The extra piece of skin under the foot could be explained if a flap was left hanging when the foot was removed, the torn tissues healing in the position described. The claw-like structures were found to be modified scales. Herring Gulls and Great Black-backed Gulls destroy many hundreds of petrels every year (Threlfall, 1968) on the island where the specimen was found and it could well be that the original injury was caused by one of these creatures. A bridled Common Murre (Uria aalge) was recovered on 16 July 1968 from a gill net in which it had become entangled and drowned, several hundred feet oif-shore from Gull Island. The bird was an adult female and apparently. 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 Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club. Ottawa, Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club
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