British Sea Birds

By
CHARLES DIXON
AUTHOR OF
“THE GAME BIRDS AND WILD FOWL OF THE BRITISH ISLANDS”;
“THE NESTS AND EGGS OF BRITISH BIRDS”;
“ANNALS OF BIRD-LIFE”;
“THE MIGRATION OF BRITISH BIRDS”;
ETC. ETC.

WITH EIGHT ILLUSTRATIONS
BY
CHARLES WHYMPER

LONDON
BLISS, SANDS AND FOSTER
1896

DEDICATION

TO

John William Pease, D.C.L.

[Pendower, Newcastle-upon-Tyne]

AS A SMALL BUT CORDIAL TOKEN OF ESTEEM

This Volume is Inscribed

BY

THE AUTHOR.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER I.
GULLS AND TERNS.

The Gull Family—​Changes of Plumage—​Characteristics—​Great Black-backed Gull—​Lesser Black-backed Gull—​Herring Gull—​Common Gull—​Kittiwake—​Black-headed Gull—​Skuas—​Great Skua—​Richardson’s Skua—​Terns—​Sandwich Tern—​Common Tern—​Arctic Tern—​Roseate Tern—​Lesser Tern—​Black Tern Pages 13-60

CHAPTER II.
PLOVERS AND SANDPIPERS.

Characteristics and Affinities—​Changes of Plumage—​Structural Characters—​Oyster-catcher—​Ringed Plover—​Kentish Plover—​Golden Plover—​Gray Plover—​Lapwing—​Turnstone—​Phalaropes—​Gray Phalarope—​Red-necked Phalarope—​Curlew—​Whimbrel—​Godwits—​Black-tailed Godwit—​Bar-tailed Godwit—​Redshank—​Sanderling—​Knot—​Curlew Sandpiper—​Dunlin—​Purple Sandpiper—​Other species 61-121

CHAPTER III.
GUILLEMOTS, RAZORBILL, AND PUFFIN.

Affinities and Characteristics—​Changes of Plumage—​Guillemot—​Brunnich’s Guillemot—​Black Guillemot—​Razorbill—​Little Auk—​Puffin 123-150

CHAPTER IV.
DIVERS, GREBES, AND CORMORANTS.

Divers—​Affinities and Characteristics—​Great Northern Diver—​Black-throated Diver—​Red-throated Diver—​Grebes—​Characteristics—​Changes of Plumage—​Great Crested Grebe—​Red-necked Grebe—​Black-necked Grebe—​Sclavonian Grebe—​Little Grebe—​Cormorants—​Characteristics—​Changes of Plumage—​Cormorant—​Shag—​Gannet 151-184

CHAPTER V.
DUCKS, GEESE, AND SWANS.

Ducks—​Characteristics—​Non-diving Ducks—​Characteristics of—​Changes of Plumage—​Sheldrake—​Wigeon—​Pintail Duck—​Various other Species—​Diving Ducks—​Characteristics—​Changes of Plumage—​Eider Duck—​King Eider—​Common Scoter—​Velvet Scoter—​Scaup Duck—​Tufted Duck—​Pochard—​Golden-eye—​Long-tailed Duck—​Mergansers—​Characteristics and changes of Plumage—​Red-breasted Merganser—​Goosander—​Smew—​Geese—​Characteristics—​Gray Lag Goose—​White-fronted Goose—​Bean Goose—​Brent Goose—​Bernacle Goose—​Swans—​Characteristics—​Changes of Plumage—​Hooper Swan—​Bewick’s Swan 185-240

CHAPTER VI.
PETRELS.

Petrels—​Characteristics—​Changes of Plumage—​Fulmar Petrel—​Fork-tailed Petrel—​Stormy Petrel—​Manx Shearwater 241-258

CHAPTER VII.
LITTORAL LAND BIRDS.

Littoral Land Birds—​White-tailed Eagle—​Peregrine Falcon—​Raven—​Jackdaw—​Hooded Crow—​Chough—​Rock Pipit—​Martins—​Rock Dove—​Stock Dove—​Heron—​Various other Species 259-278

CHAPTER VIII.
MIGRATION ON THE COAST.

The Best Coasts for Observing Migration—​Migration of Species in Present Volume—​Order of Appearance of Migratory Birds—​In Spring—​In Autumn—​Spring Migration of Birds on the Coast—​The Earliest Species to Migrate—​Departure of Winter Visitors—​Coasting Migrants—​Arrival of Summer Visitors—​Duration of Spring Migration—​Autumn Migration of Birds on the Coast—​The Earliest Arrivals—​Departure of our Summer Birds—​Arrival of Shore Birds—​Direction of Flight—​Change in this Direction to East—​The Vast Rushes of Birds across the German Ocean—​The Perils of Migration—​Birds at Lighthouses and Light Vessels—​Netting Birds—​Rare Birds 279-295

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

Black-backed Gull and Common Tern Faces page 15

Ruffs—Sparring ” ” 63

Guillemot and Razorbill ” ” 125

Great Northern Diver ” ” 153