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 [Illustration: ] _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