BIRDS 284. Common Guillemot. Uria troile (Linn.) Common and resident like the last named species. Only a few pairs of guillemots now breed on Beachy Head. 285. Black Guillemot. Uria grylle (Linn.) A rare winter straggler. 286. Little Auk. Mcrgulus alle (Linn.) Sometimes a considerable number of little auks find their way to the south coast and are picked up dead on the seashore. Al- though I have not seen the subject men- tioned elsewhere, I feel sure that the great number of little auks which in severe winters are driven south to the Orkneys and Shet- lands never return to northern latitudes. I remember once seeing over one hundred little auks in one bay on the south coast of Pomona, and the following week the majority of them were lying on the beach. Tlie cause of this mortality is probably due to the difficulty of obtaining food after a long storm-tossed voyage in deep water. increase throughout south and central Eng- land, but Sussex is not one of its favourite counties as a breeding resort, and so far there is no record of its nest being taken within the county. The species is a regular winter visitor to the coast, and it is occasionally seen on such favourite sheets of water as Burton, Knepp and Warnham Poiul. 292 Red-necked Grebe. (Boddaert). A rare winter visitor. Podkipe^ gr 287. Puffin. Fratercula arctica (Linn.) Adult puffins are not often seen off the Sussex coast, and those that are noticed are probably far going fishers from the Isle of local gunners. Wight, where a few breed. Many imma- tures are washed ashore in the autumn, and like the little auk the puffin is occasionally blown inland. 293. Slavonian Grebe. Poilicipes auritui (Linn.) A regular winter visitor, leaving the coast in March. 294. Eared Grebe. Podiclpes nlgncoUii (Brehm.) By far the rarest of the grebes that come to visit us. The late Mr. Borrer was for- tunate enough to secure an adult in full summer plumage on the Salts Farm near Lancing in April, 1854. Mr. Booth too tells us that on December lo, 1879, he obtained specimens of this grebe between Worthing and Shoreham, and adds that others have been obtained of late years by 288. Great Northern Diver. Colymbus glac- ia/is, Linn. There is a regular spring visitation of the adult great northern diver to the sea off the Sussex shores. Most of these however pass on early in May. In the winter again young birds come and stay from October till March. 289. Black-throated Diver. Co/ym/'us arcticus, Linn. The rarest of the three divers, occurring generally in the immature state. Adults in full summer plumage have been taken in spring (Borrer). 290. Red-throated Diver. Colymbus septen- triona/is, Linn. Abundant throughout the winter and departing in April. A few however stay throughout the year. 291. Great Crested Grebe. Podiclpes cristatus (Linn.) This beautiful bird is now steadily on the 295. Little Grebe. Podicipes fuviatilis (Tun- stall). Locally (at Rye), Spider Diver. A common resident. 296. btor Li ■Petrel. Procellaria pelagica. At times considerable numbers of this little petrel are seen in the Channel gene- rally far from land. 297. Fork-tailed Petrel. Oceanodroma leu- corrhoa (Vieillot). Occasionally examples of this species are driven ashore and picked up after winter gales. 298. Wilson's Petrel. Oceanites oceanicus (Kuhl). Mr. Borrer has recorded {Zoologist, p. 148) the only occurrence of this rare petrel on the Sussex coast. 299. Sooty Shearwater. Puffinus griscus (J. F. Gmelin). It seems a curious fact that this shear- water, which is not known to breed north of New Zealand, should come all the way •7 38
