Chapter I: Front Matter

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