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The Razorbill is not by any means numerous in the Channel Islands, but a few breed about Ortack, and, as has been said before, in Alderney, but nowhere else; and they are by no means so numerous as the Guillemot. It is resident throughout the year, though perhaps more common in the autumn than at any other time. Mr.
"Your Majesty is all right though," he added in a lower voice, "let this be a warning to you for to-morrow! This gentleman is Mr. Razorbill you know the old story of the Razorbills? Ha! ha!" But the King did not laugh; he extended his hand and said gently, "You are welcome my cousin!" Indeed, my sister-in-law would have probably said that dissipated though he was he was the only gentleman there.
Puffin, guillemot, black guillemot, razorbill, cormorant, shag, fulmar petrel, storm petrel perhaps, kittiwake-gull, common gull, eider-duck, oyster-catcher, after their kind, had the great, cliff-piled, inlet-studded, rock-dotted stretch of coast practically to themselves to themselves in their thousands.
But that very resemblance made me recognize the Scotch pretender, Rupert of Glasgow. Yet he would have been called a "braw laddie," and his handsome face showed a laughing good humor, even while he opposed me, claymore in hand. "Bide a wee, Maister Rupert Razorbill," he said lightly, lowering his sword, "before we slit ane anither's weasands.
There are two specimens in the Museum; one in the ordinary summer plumage, and one apparently in the winter plumage above described; but it is difficult to be quite certain on the subject, as it has been smeared over with bird-stuffer's paint, probably with the view of making it as like the ordinary summer plumage as possible. RAZORBILL. Alca torda, Linnaeus. French, "Pingouin macroptere."
The Razorbill is included in Professor Ansted's list, but only marked as occurring in Guernsey. There are two Razorbills in the Museum, one in summer and one in winter plumage. CORMORANT. Phalacrocorax carbo, Linnaeus. French, "Grand cormoran."
At the same time there is much overlapping; the kind of ledge that suits a Razorbill is equally suitable for a Guillemot or a Fulmar, and so, no matter how successful the Razorbill may be in establishing a territory and preventing intrusion upon it by other Razorbills, it will be all to no purpose if it allows itself to be jostled out of its position by a Fulmar.
Harvey Brown, however, mentions seeing a small flock swim by with the tide, at the north-end of Herm, in January. Mr. MacCulloch writes me word he has a note of a Razorbill Auk shot in Guernsey on the 14th February, 1847; this, of course, is only a young Razorbill of the previous year, which had not at that time fully developed its bill.
"I am Spitz a simple colonel of his Majesty's, yet, nevertheless, the one man who runs this whole dynasty and this young gentleman is Fritz, my lieutenant. And you are ?" "My name is Razorbill brother to Lord Burleydon," I replied calmly. "Good heavens! another of the lot!" he muttered.
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