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(Maps, plataa. charta. etc.. may be filmed at different reduction retios. Those too large to be entirely included in one expoaura are filmed beginning in the upper left hand comer, left to right and top to bottom, aa many framea aa required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: Lea cartea, planches, tabiaeux, etc., peuvent dtra fiimte it das taux da rMuction diffirants. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtra reproduit an un saui cliche, ii eat fiimi A partir de Tangle supArieur gauche, de gauche it droite, et de haut an baa. an prenant la nombre d'imegea nAcassaira. Lea diagrammas suivants iliustrent la m^thoda. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 /«. "^J-.p^ - HNGRAVED FIGURE Ol- A STUM-ED SPECIMEN OF THE GREAT AUK In tim: Cisikai. Park Museum, Ni-.w Yohk. « y^^- '-^' "«l J^* ^' y * J >*' \ J > * A THE GREAT AUK, OR GAREFOWL {^^/ca iinpcnnis, Linn.) its listoru, Erdjccoloflu, anlr lemains ■iV- BV" SYMINGTON GRIEVE EDINBURGH LONDON THOMAS C. JACK. 45 LUDGATL HI h:i)[NIUIRC;H: GRANGE PUHLISHFNG WORKS i«8j LL IN ■ XaQantsnc -jprtss llAl.I.ANTVNE, HANSON ANH CO. iiUINBUK(;H AND I.ONUuN %. #. ^bis Morli n DEDICATED BY PERMISSION CO THE LEARNED AND VENERABLE SCIENTIST, y. JAPETUS S. STEENSTRUP, DOCTOR OF I'HILOSOPHY AND MEDICINE, PHOFFSSOU OF ZOOLOrV IN THE ROYAL UNIVERSITY, COPBNHAOBN, WHO, AS THE FIRST TO WRITE A MONOGRAPH ON ALCA IMPENNIS, Linn. HAY DE DESIGNATED THE FATHER OF GAIIEFOWL HISTORY. 146360 PREFACE. TN submitting these pages to the public, the Author has fears that they will not J- bear severe criticism ; but he must plead as some excuse that tliey have been compiled during the relaxation of evenings that have followed the toils of active business life. If chance circumstances had not led him to devote some study to the subject of ^te impennis, Linn., and in course of time brought within his reach a considerable amount of literature bearing upon the History, Arclueology, and Remains of this extinct bird, it is most improbable he would ever have°u'nder- taken this Work. As his studies progressed he was led to suppose that it might be of some use to Ornithologists, if not also to a number of general readers^ if he were to publish the information collected, as no detailed work on the subject existed, and the scattered notices regarding Aim impennis principally to be found HI the Publications of the learned Societies are difficult of access. The Author is deeply sensible of the obligations he is under to home and foreign savants for the information they have so willingly given, as it has enabled him to make his Work nmch more complete than he at one time supposed was possible and also to give all the latest information. To Professor J. Steenstrup, Copen-' hagen, he is indebted for the valuable remarks which appear throughout tlie Work, and for permission to give translations of portions of his writin-s on Alca w,pennis, Linn. ; also for his kindness in going over all the proofs. To° Professor W. Blasms, Brunswick, he would tender his best thanks for allowing an epitomised translation of his recent Publication on the Kemains of Alca impennis. Linn to be prepared, and also for going over the proofs of that translation, and civin.r additional and more recent information. To Eobert Champley, Esq °Scar- borough, he is under great obligatir..s for favouring him with the use of interestin-^ correspondence, and also for giving him valuable hints and information, besid^ going over all the proof-sheets. vlH PREFACE. To I'rofessor A. Newton, Cambridge ; Dr. 11. H. Traquair, Alexander Galletly, Esq., and John Gibson, Esq., all of the Museum of Science and Art, Edinburgh ; iJr. J. Murie, of the Linna^an Society, London ; John Hancock, Esq., Newcastle- on-Tyne, and many others, he is indebted for assistance and information, and desires to express to these friends and correspondents his sincere thanks. There is one gentleman to whom the Author is under greater obligations than any other, and lie is the friend who has made the translations, revised the manuscript, and then the proofs, but at his own request he will be nameless. With regard to the Illustrations, the Author desires to express his thanks to tiie President and Council of the Linnsan Society, London, for kindly granting him the use of the electrotype from which the picture of Caisteal-nan-Gillean, Oronsay, has been printed, and also for the use of the stone from which the plate of Great Auk bones found in the same shell-mound has been lithographed. He is also under obligations to the President and Council of the Scottish Society of Antiquaries for their kindness in giving the electrotypes from which have been printed the figures of the Great Auk bones found at Keiss, in Caithness-sliire, and also the reduced reproduction of the figure of the Great Auk in the " Museum Wormianum, sen Historiie Iterum llariorum." To the Authorities at the Museum of Science and Art, Edinburgh, he is indelited for the facilities afforded to Messrs. Banks & Co. for the execution of the drawings of the eggs of Alca impcnnis, Linn., from which the coloured plates given at page 108 have been prepared. P"or the drawing of the only bone of the Great Auk yet found in England, the Author is under obligations to John Hancock, Esq., Xewcastle-ou-Tyne. QUEESSBEHRY TeRRACE, Edinblhuh, Julij issa. i CONTENTS. Dedication ...... Preface ...... coxtenth ...... Illustrations ..... I. Introduction ..... II. The Distribution of the Great Auk — Tlio Hving Biitl in its American Habitat III. The living Great Auk in its European Habitats IV. The Remains of the Great Auk — Introduction to tlic Subject — Discoveries ii North America ....... V. The Remains of the Great Auk in Denmark and Iceland VI. Iiritish Remains of the Great Auk — Keiss in Caitliness-shire . VII. British Remains of the Great Auk {eontinued) — Oronsay in Argyllshire VIII. How was Caisteal-naii-Oilloan formed, and to what puriod does it probably belong? ...... IX. English Remains of the Great Auk . X. Tho Habits of the Garefowl, and the Region it lived in XL Information regarding existing Remains of tho Great Auk, with Lists of all recorded Skins, Bones, and Eggs — Tables giving the Tibials of each Variety of Remains in diirercnt Countries — Also Information about Skins, Bones, Eggs, Imitation Remains, and Illustrations of Remains XII. The Uses to wliich the Great Auk was p\it by Man . . . . XIII. The Names by which the Great Auk has been known, and their Philology , XIV. The Period during which the CJreat Auk lived — Conclusion . l'.\UK V vii ix xi 1 4 H 27 31 43 47 ,''.9 (52 63 76 115 121 140 CONTENTS. no. APPENDICES. IV I. Recapitulation of the various Investigations concerning the Distribution of the Garefowl, by Professor J. Steenstrup, Copenhagen. Translated from the Danish H. Epitomised Translation from the German of that part of Professor Wh." Blasius' recent pamphlet ("Zur Geschichte der Ueberreste von Alca im- pennis, Linn.," iVaumburg, a/S 1884), which treats of the Skins and Eggs in. The most Ancient Discovery of the West Indies (Newfoundland), by Madoc, the Son of Owen Gwyneth, Prince of North Wales, in the year 11 70 Professor J. Steenstrup's Remarks on East Greenland as an Ancient Station for the Great Auk V. Correspondence regarding the supposed Stuffed Skin of a Great Auk or Gare'- fowl (Alca iwpennis, Linn,), .said to have been seen at Reykjavik, Iceland, by R. Mackay Smith, Esq., and party ... VI. Ren.arks by R. Champley, Esq., on what should be the attitude given to Stuffed Skins of tlie Great Auk or Garefowl (Alca impemis, Linn. ) VII. Remarks by R. Champley Esq., on the Structure of the Shell of the Egg of the Great Auk or Garefowl (Alca impennis, Linn.) VIII. Imitation Great Auk Eggs, the possibility of their being produced in porcelain." Remarks by R, Champley, Esq. . IX. Correspondence regarding the Remains of the Great Auk or Garefowl (^ /.a Impennis, Linn.), preserved in the Museum of Natural History at Paris LVDE.X Remarks o.v Chart . 4 35 37 38 39 40 40 41 43 53 ILLUSTRATION^ S. No. ■ • • • Froniispieci'. Havelse, Denmark, and supposed by Professor J. Steenstrup to belong En; viTg "°™ ""^'^ °' ^^^*^^ ^"^ (^^P-^-<^iilssou." INTRODUCTION. to a very small colony, attracted the attention of Professor J. Roinliardt, wlio wrote an article for the same journal during 1830 " on " Garefowl Appearances in Iceland." The learned Professor was thoroughly alive to the destruction of Garefowls that had occurred at their only liatching place during the years tlmt immediately suc- ceeded 1830, yet he does not appear to have thought that the death of the last of the Garefowls was so near, as only five short years were to elapse from the time he penned his communication until the fate of the Garefowl was sealed in the death of the last of the race. In the following pages, which are principally devoted to the Archajology and History of the bird, we endeavour to place before the reader all the information which has come under our notice that is of most importance, though if an attempt were made to repeat all that has appeared regarding the existence of this bird especially in the American region, wo might fill several volumes. Whilst we have been thus careful to give a summary of all we have been able to ascertain regard- ing the existence of the Great Auk from the earliest times, the last scenes in its history during the pioioiii, century are reserved for fuller details. " "NftturbistoriskTiUskrUt," 1838-39, p. 533. irr 1 ,j i I ( 4 ) CHAPTER II. THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE GREAT AUK.— THE LIVING BIRD IN ITS AMERICAN HABITATS. IN order to trace out the area in the northern hemisphere in which the Great Auk existed, it will be necessary to bear in mind that the only mode of doing so is to iind out if possible the localities in which it bred, the recorded occurrences of its observation or capture, and lastly, the stations at which its remains have been recovered. It is (juite possible that our knowledge of what wer" the breeding places of the bird may be defective ; but it seems die following are historically well attested, — namely, St. Kilda, Orkney, possibly Shetland, Faroe, the three Garefowl rocks off the coast of Iceland, Danells or Graahs islands situated in latitude 65° 20' N., at one time called Giinnbjornsskjoerue ; * then we liave to go west to the east coast of North America, where, in the neighbourhood of Newfoundland, it was met with on Funk and many other islands ; " also on some of the islands in the Bay of St. Lawrence, and at Cape Breton ; while another station on the same coast at whicli it probably occurred was Capo Cod, the latter apparently being about the southern limit of the region in which the bird lived.^ Whatever may have been the numbers of the Garefowl in the eastern region during prehistoric times, the bird does not appear to have attracted the attention of the earliest writers. If it ever existed very numerously in this locality, it ' "Groiiliiiiils Iliatoriake Miinlcsmrt'rker," vol. i. i)|>. 123, 124. In adilition to wliiit is stated in tlie work we (luoto, we may ineiitiuii tliat some coaturios ago tliort* were Norne settlements on tlie sonth-west coast of Crecnianil, liut a sudden einuige in the climate of tlic I'ountry occiirrod, generally supposed to have ticen caused by liU alteration of the current of that portion of tlie Gulf Stream wldch is lielieved at one time to have beat upon this shore. The sudden lowering of the temperature cnnipidled the Norsemen to leave this Iiart of Greenland, and tile existence of those settlements had almost been forgotten until the discovery of the remains of their villages within recent times. It was possildy the same change in climate that caused the (ireat Auk to leave Kast Greeidand, as tlieie is no record of its having been destroyed ut Gunnhjornsskjoerne, timugh the writer we refer to mentions its occurrence in large numbers about the year 1052. See " Ueber J'lauliix iiiiiM:niii.i," pp. 22, 2:t. See also I'rof. Steenstrup's remarks in our Appendix IV, •-' "ilakluyt's Collection of Voyagei," London, ICiOO, pp. l.U 1(12, 17.'?, I'.M, 195, 200, 202, 203, 205, 212. " Et Uidrag til Geirfuglens," " Videnskabelige .Middelelaer," 18.J5, No. 3-7, p. O.'i. ^ " Videnskabelige Meddelelser," IH.V>, No. 3 7. p. !tO. 1 SLAUGHTERS OF THE GREAT AUK. would fall an easy prey to the primitive races of men, who, valuing it as food, doubtless killed all that came within their reach, until the few colonies of the bird that remained were confined to outlying islets, seldom wandering from their neighbourhood except when forced by circumstances, such as occurred through a volcanic subsidence off the coast of Iceland in 1830.'' Its food being fish, which were more easily obtained on the banks or shallow water usually found near the land, seems to have generally confined this bird within soundings,'' and this idea was held by sailors and fishermen, and is apparently based on accurate observation. We believe that the earliest notices of the Garefowl (or Penguin, as it was called in the American locality) are to be found in the works of writers, who, referring to the early voyages to the North American waters or the fisheries at the Banks of Newfoundland, mention the immense numbers of these birds.* Here also the (Jarefowl, probably long before the arrival of Europeans, had become confined to islets to which it could not be followed by the Red Indian in his frail canoe ; who would likely have no knowledge of the existence of such multitudes of birds ; though in later times, from the information gained by contact with white men, and his becoming possessed of boats, he annually visited the Bird islands for sup- plies.' In recent times, like the Great Auk, these aborigines have also become extinct. But if the Garefowl was safe from the red man in early times, it found a dreadful enemy in the white ; ana le record of the war of extermination which he waged begins in 1497 or 1408, and went on until no Penguins were left to kill.* So valuable did these Garefowl prove as an article of food, that the ships which frequented the Banks for fishing were principally provisioned with them, as they fell an easy prey to the mariners, imd were so stupid when on land that they allowed themselves to be driven on board the vessels on planks or sails spread out from the sides of the ships to the shore. Another plan which was resorted to, but probably in later times when tlie bird became less plentiful, was to drive them into compounds, where they were slaughtered with a short stick or club. The following extract, taken from the notice in " llakluyt's \'oyages " (vol. iii. p. 130, ed. 1(500, Loudon), of tlio " Voyage of .M. Hore and diners other gentle- men to Newfoundland and Cape Bretlanke into our ship as many as shall lade her. These birds are also called Pengui)is and cannot flie ; there is more meate in one of these then in a goose ; the Frenchmen that fish neei-e the grand baie, doe bring small store of flesh with them, but vietuall themselves always with these birdes." There seems to have been no restriction put upon those men, and possibly many birds were needlessly killed and their bodies not even removed ; and it may bo to this cause that wo owe the discovery during 1803 and 18(j1 of severol mummy speci- mens, which were dug out from the frozen soil of Funk Tglaud, two of whicli are now in England prepared as skeletons, one is in the British Museum. Some of the bones in the mummy from which this skeleton was prepared were awanting, but the deficiency was fortunately made up through the kindness of Mr. J. Hancock, Newca.«tle-on-Tyne, who succeeded in extracting the bones similar to those that were missing l\\nn a skin in his possession.'' The other skeleton is now in Cambridge. (See also pp. 28, 82.) ' Ibis, 18C5, p. UIJ. M LATEST REPORTED OCCURRENCES IN AMERICA. As tho Garefo^v•l appears to have laid only one egg each year, it may be easily understood that its reproduction would be very slow, and that it could not long resist the war of extermination waged against it. Consequently we find that it gradually became fewer in numbers at all tho American breeding-places, until finally, early in the present century, it altogether disappeared; and Professor A. Newton thinks if any are in existence, the only place where may possibly linger the last of the American Garefowls is tlie Virgin Rocks near the edge of, and midway on the north-west side of, the Great Bank off the coast of Newfoundland."* It i.s stated that Colonel Drummond Hay, in passing over the tail of the Newfoundland Banks in December 1852, saw what ho believed to be a Great Auk- This gentleman also sent Professor A. Newton a letter which he had received in 1854 from the late Mr. J. Macgregor of St. John's, Newfoundland, in which he states that in the preceding year, 1853, a dead one was picked up in Trinity Bay. But inquiries instituted by Professor Newton regarding this specimen did not result in any further information about it being obtained." Audubon mentions that Jlr. Henry Havel, the brother of his engraver, while on a voyage from New York to England, hooked a Great Auk on tho Bank of New- foundland, in extremely boisterous weather ; and also that when he (Audubon) was visiting the coast of Labrador, the fishermen stated that the Great Auk still bred upon a low rocky islet to tho south-east of Newfoundland, where great numbers of the young were destroyed for bait ; but as this information was received too late in tho season, ho had no opportunity of ascertaining its accuracy.'- More than thirty years have iiow elapsed since the last reported observation in tho American locality, and as each succeeding year goes past without any notice ot Its existence, the hope must gradually die out among ornithologists that any of the birds have escaped. We may add, that from what is now known it is almost certain that all reported observations of the Great Auk since 1811. are mistakes H Mr''T W^U°"''' "'p '" "'^'"tr'" ^^ ^'°^'''"' '''■ ^■'-'"■'°»- ^■"'"■•"1 '>i«t-ry Keview, 1805. p. 48G "n M f'^ ', I liese^rclics," by Professor A. Newton. Jbis, lISOl, vol. iii. p. 'Mr. ^ " "Ormtliolo(;icanii<,gnipIiy,"l.S3S, p. aiO. Il 1 1' i ^lii ( 8 ) CHAPTER III. THE LIVING GAREFOWL IN ITS EUROPEAN HABITATS. IN the European region the Garefowl in historic times is not known to have been ever as numerous as it was found by the early voyagers to American waters. But it certainly occurred in strong colonies at one or two stations, such as St. Kilda,' Iceland,'' and probably the Faroe"'' and the Orkney Islands ; * but from similar causes to tlioso which operated elsewhere, it gradually was killed off, until in 1814,^ or possibly 1815," the last was heard of the living Garefowl. ! ' I St. Kilda. Of these birds the latest seen at St. Kilda was captured during the early summer of 1821 by two young men and two boys, who were in a boat on the east side of the island, and observed it sitting on a low ledge of the cliff. The two young men were lauded at opposite points of the ledge, but about equidistant from the bird, which they gradually approached, whilst meantime the boys had rowed the boat close up to the rock under where it was sitting. At last, becoming frightened by the ajiprouch of the men, it leaped down towards the sea, but only to fall into the arms of one of the youths, who held it fast. Five years ago (1880) one of these boys, Donald JI'Queen, was still living, aged 73.' From these men the bird was obtained by Mr. Maclellan, the tack.smnn of Glass or Scalpa, one of the Northern Hebrides. To this gentleman has been given the credit of having captured it, through some misapprehension on the part of the ' " A Voy»go to St. Kilila, " by M. Martin, Gent., London, 17."'3, p. 27. ^ Ml. J. ^Volley's " Keaeiirches in Iceland,'' Jhis, vol. iii., Ifilil, pp. ;i74-398. • OlaiiBWormius in his "Museum Wormianuni, seu Hiatoriaj Keruni Karioram " (Coponhagon), Leyden, 1655, p. 301. * MiicUillivray, " British Birds," vol. iv. p. 301 ; and Appendix to the Supplement, Montagu's " Ornitho- logical Dictionary,' 1K13. ° " Et liidrag til Geirfuglenii," by Prof. Steenstrup, " V'idenskabelige Meddelelser," 1855, Nr. .3-7, p. 78. " Thcjnison's "Hirds of Ireliind," vol. iii. p. 23!). 7 " Proceedings of Koyal Society, Edinburgh," 187U-80, p. GCi). Note "Letter from K. Scot Skirving, Esq., 17th .June 1880, toKobert liray, Esq." IV^ GREAT AUK CAUGHT AT ST. KILDA. Rev. John Fleming, D.D., minister of Flisk, afterwards Professor Fleming, of the New College, Eilinburgh, who obtained it from him on the eve of his leaving Glass in the yacht of the Commissioners of the Northern Lighthouses, 18th August of that year.* Dr. Fleming states, " The bird was emaciated, and had the appearance of being sickly, but in the course of a few days became sprightly, having been plentifully supplied with fresh fish, and permitted occasionally to sport in the water with a cord fastened to one of its legs to prevent escape. Even in this state of restraint it performed the motions of diving and swimming under water with u rapidity that set all pursuit from u boat at defiance. A few white feathers were at this time making their appearance on the sides of its neck and throat, which increased considerably during the Ibllowing week, and loft no do\ibt that, like its congeners, the blackness of the throat-feathers of summer is exchanged for white during the winter season." " The year in which this event took place has been supposed l)y some to have been 1822, as, owing to a misprint or mistake in the "History of British Animals," published by I'rofessor Fleming in 1828, the latter date is given. But as the bird was obtained during a tour of inspection witli the Northern Liglitliouse Commissioners, an examination of their Journal has shown that the Kev. Dr. Fleming of Flisk was on board their yacht En/cnt in 1821, but not in 1822, when the Connnissioners visited the island of Scalpa."* Unfortunately, the Garefowl escaped when tlio yacht was near the entrance to the Firth of Clyde," as it was being allowed to take its usual bath in the sea with a cord attached to its leg ; and there appears to be some evidence that this bird afterwards died, and its body cast ashore at Gourock.'' The escape seems to have occurred after Dr. Fleming and his party had left the yacht, as they landed at the lighthouse at the JIull of Cantyro on 2Gth August, and proceeded by land to Campbeltown, whence they got the steamer for Glasgow. This bird had been given to Mr. Stevenson, the engineer of the Northern Lighthouse Board, and he gave it to Dr. Fleming, on the understanding it was to be presented to the ^fuseum of Edinburgh University, and its unfortunate loss is perhaps irreparable. ' " Proceedings of the .Society of Antiqunriea of Scotlnml,"vol. ii. ii.s., \\ " " KiliiiliHi'uli I'liilosoiiliiciil .Jnunml," vol. x., 1S24, ]>. !t4. '" "rioci'uiiiiig« Snciety of Aiitiqimrii'sof Scotliiiid," vol. ii, ii.a., ji. 411. " " Edinburgh IMiilosupliiciil Juurnal." vol. x. , 1S'.!4, p. 'X>, " "Birds of the West of Scotland," K. Gray (1871), i>i>. 441-453. 441. 1 — r to THE GREAT AUK, OR GAREFOWL. Orkney and Shetland. The lost notice of this interesting bird appearing in oithei' Orkney or Shet- land was in 1812, when two, a male and femulo, were killed at I'lipa Westra," One account says that the female was seen sitting upon the rocks close to the Hea, where it was knocked over hy some boya or young men with stones, but wna not then obtained. It was washed a.shore some time nt'terwards.'^ Another account says it was shot. The male was chased by !Mr. Bullock in a six-oared l)oat for many hours, but its speed was so great that the pursuit had to be abandoned. However, this bird was afterwards captured by some fishermen, who killed it and sent the body to that gentleman. "* At his death it was sold, and purchased by Dr. Leach for £15, Gs. Gd., and placed in the British Museum,'* where it is now the finest specimen they possess. I ■' i 5 i I I FAuijE Islands. At Faroe the GareFowl had become exceedingly rare at the beginning of the present century,'" and the last birds were probably killed during the next few years, but the exact date of the last capture cannot be ascertained. When Mr. Wollcy visited Fariie in 18 19, he was told by an old man that he had seen one sitting upon some low rocks about fifty years before.'" Professor J. Steenstrup relates, that during his visit to these ' "lands ho saw the head of a Great Auk which had been preserved. It is probable that either the last, or among the last, of these birds killed in this locality is referred to by Graba, who was at Faroe in 1828. He found that most of the natives did not know it even by name ; but some old people told him tliey thought they had formerly seen it at Westmannshavn, and one man said that he had killed an old Garefowl with a stick as it sat on its egg at this place.'" From a remark of Professor A. Newton in " The Garefowl aud its Historians,""" we are led to understand that this man lived until a short time prior to 18G5. Major H. W. Fielden, when ho visited '^ Aiiiiendix to Supplement of " Montagu's Ornithologicul Dictionnry," ISl.'}, '* "The Gnrcfowl iinil its HistorinnH," Niitural History Ueviow, IH(li), p. 473. '' Dr. Liithnm, "Oeiioral History of Jiirds," toI. z. pp. ,''p(i, 57. '" "The Garefowl and its Historians," Natural History Keview, 180B, p. 473. '" " lieskrivelse over Faerceerne," 1800, p. 'J.")4. "Landt. " '" "Contributions to Ornithology," \KA, p. 115. '» "Reise nnch Faro," pp. I'Jf*, l!l!l. '^ "Natural History Keview," IWm, p. 476. I • ti i THE GARRFOWL SKERRIES, ICELAND. u Fariio, saw ft iimu nnmi'd Jan Hansen, thou eighty-one years of age, who told him tliat a Great Auk was caught on 1st July 1808.°' If this man's statement bo true, ho must have had a wonderfully retentive memory to remember the date BO exactly. Iceland. Some of the skerries oH" the south-west coast of Iceland were, it is believed, the last brooding-places of the Great Auk. During earlier times the bird had a wider distribution around this coast, and for that reason wo must refer separately to the different skerries it is said to have inhabited. OKIHFCGLASKKK, Ol'F Breidamkrkursandr. I'rofossor W. I'royer, in his paper "Uehcr Plaittm impennis," 18G2, p. "25, states that E. Olafsson"^ mentions an island situated some geograjjliical miles (probably fifteen or twenty English miles) off the Breidamorkursandr (Broidamerkur Sands), named the Geirfuglasker {Anylicc, Garofowl Skerry), and if this is the case there can be little doubt it derives its name from the Great Auk. Olafsson says, " It gets its name from the Auk with the eight furrows on its beak ; " and though thia is not (piite true regarding the number of furrows on the bill of Alca impcnnis, which vary in number and are generally more numerous, what other bird would so closely answer the description, and be o sufficient importance to give its name to this rock ? There was only one bird known by the name of Geirfugl in Iceland so far as we have been able to discover, and that was tho Great Auk. Whether this skerry was a breeding-place of tho Garefowl, or only one of the islets it fre(iuented, may bo left an open (juestion. Olafsson refers to this skerry as if its existence was only traditional. Professor Steenstrup says it is situated on the south coast of Iceland. It appears on the map in connection with his celebrated ])aper (see p. 2) situated nearly midway between tho Wcstman Isles and Cape Ueykjaues. Professor W. Preyer states the name is not now known even in Iceland. Tho skerry, if it appears on recent maps, is not given by the name of Geirfuglasker, and we are thus unable to identify it. It is therefore not marked on our chart. »' "ZoologUtS.S„"i). 3280. '" E. Olafsson og B. I'uUsod Ueise igj Island. Sorcie, 1772, p. 7G.5. T til ' \ Ml f I ; 12 r//7? GREAT AUK, OR GAREFOWL. Geikfuglasker, East of Bkeiddalsvik, East Iceland. Professor W. Preyer, on the same ]iairo of liis paper as already quoted, refers to some rocks to tlie cast of Breiddalsvik in East Iceland. He tells us tlioy are men- tioned by Olaus Olavius,^^ and are said to stretch a long waj' out to sea. A num- ber are just visible above the ocean, but about six or seven German miles (about twenty-four or twenty-eight Etifflish miles) off the coast is a tolerably largo rock of considerable circumference called the Geirfngla^kcr. To this rock in times past expeditions went about St. John's Day (near mid-summer) to catch Garefowla and seals. From the context this may have been a breeding-place of the Gare- fowl, and probably the date was chosen from the fact that the young birds would generally be hatched out by the end of June. We can hardly bring ourselves to think that it was with any desire to spare the young, and thus permit the perpetua- tion of the race, that this period of the year was chosen, as all the information to bo had regarding these expeditions indicate that the fowlers slaughtered old and young indiscriminatolj'. It is likely there were some holidays at this season, and as the weather might bo expected to bo usually better than at other periods of the year, this may account for the time chosen for visiting the skerry. As the Icelanders had only open boats, they required to make such expeditious in favour- able weather. There is on Olsen's large scale map of Iceland, about thirty miles from the coast, a skerry named Goirfuglasker, and this seems likely to bo the islet referred to. We have marked this islet on our chart as a probable breeding-place. It has, however, by an unfortunate mistake, been named " Fuglasker." Professor A. Newton, in his paper on !Mr. J. Wolley's "Researches," Ibis, 1861, p, 371, says : " The most eastern Geirfuglasker is situated some thirty miles from the coast, off the island of Papey, and the entrance of Berufjor(5r, about hit. G !•, Ji") N., and long. 26' W. (of Copenhagen), and is commonly known to Danish sailors as Ilvalsbak (Whalesback)." " On making all intpiiries wo were .abh^ on our arrival at lleykj.avik (prohahli/ in 1658), we could ■ tain no recent information respecting the eastern skerry, of which we had at starting entertained most ho])es. It appeared also that of the travellers who in the last century had published accounts of their journeys in Iceland, Olafsen "^ and Olavius"^ only had alluded to 33 Ocrnmn tianslation of Olaus Oluvius' "Journey through Icc^liiml," 17S7, p. 313. -* " Keise i^'iennem Island,'' ftc, a! Eijgert Olafsen (or Olafsson). Sorcii-, 1772, p. 7.">0. 2'' " (Eoonomiak l!ey»o i;.'iiMincni cl>^ norilvestligc, nordlige, neighbouring islands, and though we were told that some fifteen years before a young bird had been obtai.ied thence, it was (juite certain that no Great Auks resorted thither now." This probably refers to inquiries made by Mr. Wolley during 1858. In a footnote l^rofessor Newton remarks, "Of course it does not follow, even if the story be true, that this bird was bred there. Fabor states ('Prodromus der islandisehen Ornithologio Kopeuhagen,' 1822, p. 40), that he was on the Westman Islands in July and August 1821, and that a peasant there told him it was twenty years since a -■« " Korsilg til I'll rsliui.lsk Natmliistorie, &c.," veil N. Molir, Kiolicnimvii, 1780, p. 383. •'■ "DieuiU^ Lilar ,lu MiMisuni Orbis Teinie." Eil. ValckL'iiaT. I'mis, 1807. Ml 1 Mi i 1 '• :i-i 14 THE GREAT AUK, OR GAREFOWL. Great Auk (and that the only one of the species he had ever seen) had occurred there. He adds, that this bird and its egg, upon wliich it was taken, remained a long time in a warehouse on one of the islands, but had vanished before hia arrival. We may, with Professor Steenstrup (I.e. p. 7G, note), infer from this that the Garefowl, even about the year 1800, was a great rarity in the neighbourhood." '^^ The Fuglaskek (Anylicc, Biru) Skerries) off Cape Revkjanes.-" It was, however, the skerries to the south-west of Capo Reykjanos that afforded a last shelter to the persecuted Garefowls, and for that reason some details will be interesting. This region is one of volcanic activity, and numerous upheavals and subsidences have taken place. Islands have appeared and dis- appeared, and from active craters the sea lias at times been covered with a tiiick layer of pumice. The phenomena attending these eruptions have been generally so appalling tlu mention is made of them in Icelandic history. I'rofessor W. I'reyer states that in the year 1:210 A.D., there was an eruption oft' Capo Reyk- j es; in 121t>, there is a doubtful reference to another; but from 1222 till .(:!:iO wo are told that there were continual eruptions, and four great outbreaks .luring that time. In 1237 occurred what is described as the seventh eruption, and in 12-1() the eighth, when a number of snudl islands were formed, and were seen from tho coast, but afterwards mostly disappeared, while others came to view at dift'erent places in the same neighbourhood, A long period of (juiescenco followed this period of activity; but in 1122 tlio ninth eruption took place, when there appeared above the sea high rocks of considerable circumference. The tenth eruption occurred in 1583 ; the eleventh, exactly two hundred years afterwards, in 1783; the tweltlh in 183U, when the Geirfuglaskcr disappeared on which tho Garefowls bred, and to this circumstance we shall ])rfst'ntly refer. Tiio most I'ecent eruption took place at the end of July 1881, and a correspondent of one of the Edinburgh newspapers, writing i'rom Reykjavik, refers to it as follows : '' Towards tho end of July volcanic disturbances occurred in the sou otf Capo Reykjanes, the south-west puint of Iceland, which culminated in the appearance above tho waters of a new island. Beyond the occurrence of several earthnuako shocks, by no means rare phenomena in that part of Iceland, there was little manifestation of what was taking place in tho deep, until, on the 20th of July, •' Mr. .1. Woll.7'8 " Ueseurches," Hit, 1801, p. a7'J. '-'■' AV//A;/'(iM(» traiislutiil iiiti) Kiiglisli niciinii "smoke cape;" lii'iikJiivU; "smoke buy." '! THE GAREFOWL SKERRIES, ICELAND. 'S the light-keeper at Cape Reykjanes observed that a new islet had appeared about twenty miles off the coast. It lies about fourteen miles north-west of Eldey, or the Mealsack, a high cylindrical volcanic rock whitened at the top by the deposits of seafowl, whence the name ivTcdlsack, which forms a conspicuous object familiar to all who have rounded Capo Reykjanes. The now island had at first the shape of a flattened cone rounded at the top, but a large part of one of the sides lias since fallen down. INIore recent accounts throw considerable doubt on this story, and it is said that a vessel has passed over the spot where the island was seen without discovering any trace of it. On the other hand the light-keeper is said to maintain the truth of his story. It is possible ho may have been deceived by mirage." As far as wo have been able to ascertain, the skerries south-west of Cape Reykjanes had occupied the position shown on the enlargement of that region given in connection with our chart, for at least some centuries prior to 1830. During that year the rock named Geirfuglasker, which was the innermost of the two outer skerries, disappeared beneath the waves ; and as this rock was the principal breeding-place of the Garefowls, the event had a most important result, as it greatly hastened the extinction of the species, compelling the birds to seek a home on skerries that were easier of access from the mainland. Tlio four skerries that are shown on our map are called collectively the Fuglaskcr (Fowl or Bird Skerries), but they may be divided into two groups, each consisting of two islets — the innermost of the groups being named the Eldeyjar (Fire Islands), comprising Eldey (Fire Island), where the last of the Garefowls was killed in 1811, and Eldeyjardningr (Fin; Island C'litf or Rock), a pi'ecipitous stack of rock which was too steep for the Garefowls to ascend, as they could not ily. The fowlers, who visited it long ago, must have found it impossible to climb, as Pro- fessor W. Proyer, quoting Eggert Olafsson (E. Olafsson og B. IMlsson Rcise igj Island Soriif, 1772, I.e., pp. 8!U!, 8:>1), mentions that Eldey and Eldeyjardningr are so steep that no one can mount them, although in former times there were rope-ladders on Eldey. Professor Newton says : " Lying off Capo Reykjanes, the south-western point of Iceland, is a small chain of volcanic islets, commonly known as the Fuglasker, between which and the shore, notwithstanding that the water is deep, there runs a Riist (Roost), nearly always violent, and under certain conditions of wind and tide such as no boat can live in That which is nearest the land lu-ii j- about thirteen English miles distant, i.^ .cd by Icelanders Eldey (Fire k i), iillj II ! \ \i\ !i 1 6 THE GREAT AUK, OR GAREFOIVL. and by the Danish sailors Meel-saekkcn (the Mealsack), a name, indeed, well applied ; for seen from one direction at least, its appearance is grotesquely like that of a monstrous half-filled bag of flour, the resemblance, too, being heightened by its prevailing whitish colour. Not very far from Eldey lies a small low rock, over whicli it seems that the sea sometimes breaks. This is known as Eldeyjardningr (Eldey's Attendant)." ='" As to these two last statements we may remark that though the waves may in times of storm break over this skerry, still iL may be a stack of rock rising to a considerable height above the sea, though neither so high or large as Eldey. The meaning of the name Eldeyjardrdngr, as given by Professor Newton, we supposed was a mistake, as drdngr means a d[tf or rode. Having written to Professor Newton with reference to this matter, ho replied on IGth March 1885, " I would, however, say that in Iceland its application is not confined to ' a stack of rock rising abruptly,' for the Eldeyjurdi'angr is a gently sloping low rock, over which the sea at times breaks." Professor Steenstrup, writing us on loth April 1885 regarding this subject, saj's, " Drdni/r is certainly a rock or cliff, but it is principally used as a name for a cliff or rock near to the coast, near a larger island or skerry accompanying, as it were, the coast or the islfind as a follower or attendant. Hundreds of names are so supplied l)y tlie Islanders." It is quite possible that the wash of the Atlantic waves, aided l)y the volcanic disturbances that have occurred in this region, may have reduced Eldeyjardrangr from being a high rock to be now a low one, with a gently sloping surface ; but we think there is not the .slightest doubt that at tlio time this skerry got its name it was a high .stack of rock. That it was as we have described it, is mentioned by Eggert Olafsson, wlio Avas in Iceland from 1752 to 1757, and again from 1700 to 170 k In describing the skerries off Reykjanes, he says : " Eldey lies a mile (Uerman mile) distant i'rom this promontory, and close beside it Eldeyjardr:lngr, a high rock. On these places dwell Auks and other sea and mountain bird.s, but they are so steep that now no one can mount them." ^' It would be interesting to have fuller infornuition upon the present state of this skerry. If it sliouhl turn out that it is still a rock of considerable height, it need cause no stn'prise that the sea breaks •■"' Mr. J. ■Wolley's " Itenenrclies," Th'f. vol. Hi., IKOl.]). i\7'.l ^' "UuliiT I'Iiuuu.1 Iiiiiit'iinis,' vun Win. I'ri'jer, lluidt'lbor;;, l.S(i'_', p. L'S. Qu»t»tiun Irom Kt,'gert ( )luf.ss! THE GAREFOWL SKERRIES, ICELAND. 17 over it at times, as the Atlantic waves must sweep in upon that coast with tremendous force. The outer group of skerries may bo called the Geirfuglasker(Garefowl Skerries). The inner of the two skerries, forming this group, was the Geirfuglasker proper, on which the Garefowls bred, and which was submerged in 1830. Professor Newton says, « Some ten or fifteen miles further out (than Eldejgardriingr) are the remains of the rock formerly known to Icelanders as the Geirfuglasker proper, and to Danes as Ladogaarden (the Barn-building), in former times the most considerable of the chain but which, after a series of submarine disturbances beginning on the 6th or 7th of March 1830, and continuing at intervals for about a twelvemonth, disappeared completely below the surface, so that now no part of it is visible, though it is said that Its situation is occasionally revealed by the breakers. "==» This islet formed a suitable breeding-place fur the bird, as part of its west side sloped down towards the sea, which made it easy for the Garefowls to get upon the rock. The outermost skerry is named the Geirfugladraugr (Garefowls Cliff or Rock), and appears to have got its name to distinguish it from the Geirfuglasker proper just m the same way that Eldeyjardrangr got its name to distinguish it from Eldey. The name Geirfugladnlngr would seem to indicate that it is a stack of rock and difficult to climb, and thus was unsuitable for the Garefowl to breed upon Writing m 1801, Professor A. Newton says, " Further out again (to sea), perhaps some six-aud-twenty English miles from Reykjanes, rises another tall stack called by Icelanders Geirfugladraugr, and by Danish sailors Greenadeer-huen (the Grenadier's Cap)."'" "The only hope that exists of finding the Gare- fowl m this region is, that at the submergence off Reykjanes a colony of these birds existed at the Geirfugladraugr, or went there from the sunken rock." ■' « It is about the same distance from it as Eldev, onlv much further from Iceland, and owing to its remoteness, and the dangerous surf that breaks upon Its shore, has never been visited by any inhabitant of the mainland." ^ Un- fortunately, the learned Professor's hope has not been realised, and as other twenty years have come and gone without even a single trace of the living Garefowl being found, we fear it must be considered as extinct. Tlie Geirfugladraugr was once visited by a Count F. C. Raben, a Dane. •■•■' BIr. J. ■WoUey'.s "licscai-clioa," Il,is, vol. iii., ISOl, p. 380 '* Ibid. ^ il)iil. \\. ;ilH!. ** "The Garefowl uml ita Uistoiiiius/' Natural History Ueview, 1805, ,,. 47.). i8 THE GREAT AUK, OR GAREFOWL. : He went along with Faber when collecting materials for his fauna of Iceland, and accompanying them was a Danish botanist named Morck ; but of the party only Count Raben landed, and ho narrowly escaped losing his life when getting off tho skerry. During this voyage, which lasted from the 29tli Juno till the 2d July 1821, they also visited tho Geirfnglasker, now submerged. It is of importance to observe that when at tho Goirfugladn'ingr the party did not notice any Gare- fowls, and as they should have been seen there at that season of tho year if any frequented the rock, it throws considerable doubts upon the likelihood of its having ever been one of their breeding-places. Professor Newton mentions that " All these rocks have been long remarkable for the furious surf which boils round them except in the very calmest weather. Still more distant is a rock to which the names Eldej'ja-bodi, or Blinde-fuglasker, have been applied by Icelanders. This is supposed to have risen from the sea in 1783, the year of the disastrous volcanic eruption in Skaptafolls-sysla, and soon after to havo sunk iDeneath the waves." ^' Professor Newton may have seen some of these islets from a distance, but unfortunately neither Mr. Wolley or himself succeeded in visiting them, lie says : " In 1858 Mr. Wolley and I remained at Kyrkjuvogr, with two short intervals, from May 21st to July 11th. Our chief object was to reach not only Eldey, but the still more distant Geirfugladrdngr, on which, probably, no man has set foot since the Danish Count, in 1821, with so much difficulty reached it. Boats and men were engaged, and stores for the trip laid in ; but not a single opportunity occurred when a landing would have been practicable. I may say it was with heavy hearts we witnessed the season wearing away without giving us the wished-for chance."^' TlIK GkIRIT(;LASKF.R, NOW SUUMERCiED. It was at the Geirfnglasker, now submerged, situated nbove twent}--(ivo miles south-west of Keykjanes on the mainland, that there occurred during the latter period of its history the greatest slaughters of the Garefowl. Since the beginning of last century it appears that this Garefowl colony has been several times in danger of extermination, as ex]iediti()ns went to it year after year about mid- summer, if the weather was propitidus. The colony became at times so diminished in numbers tiiat for a series of years no expeditions went to it ; but fis soon as it was discovered that the Gare- 1, if I' ; ii I if " Mr. J. Wollej's "Kcsearclies," I/iis, vul. iii., ISCl, i<. 3S0. :* llii.1. p. ;».». |i ll THE GAREFOWL SKERRIES, ICELAND. 19 fowls had again increased, immediately efforts were made to kill tliem. If wo may believe Anderson, who wrote in 1740,'" the only place in Iceland at that time where the Garofowl were to be found was at this Geirfuglasker. In 1752, llorrebow, in reviewing Anderson's work, says,'" " The Garefowl was at that time plentiful at this skorry." He also adds, " The fowlers, when they visited this rock, filled their boats with the eggs of the Garofowl." Eggert Olafsson, who was in Iceland from 1752 till 1757, and again from 17G0 till 17G-1, writing in 1772, says,"" " The Garefowl is found on one of tlio We.stmanneyar (^Angllcc, Wcstman Islands), and also on a skerry off Ileykjanes." In the public library at Reykjavik is preserved a short but beautifully written manuscript giving an account of the Geirfuglasker. This manuscript, from internal evidence, appears to have been written about the year 17G0. It mentions the marvellous numbers of birds found upon the rock, and states that the " Garefowl is there not nearly so much as men suppose ; " " that the space he occupies cannot be reckoned at more than a six- teenth part of tlio skerry," " and this only at the two landing-places ; further upwards he does not betake himself, on account of his flightlessness." ■*" N. Mohr, wlio visited Iceland in 1780-81, writing in 1786 (" Forsbg til en islandsk Natur- historie," p. 29), refers to tlie statement of llorrebow, " that the fowlers in his time (1752) filled their boats with the eggs of the Garefowl," and says it is exag- gerated. There can be little doubt that Mohr had good reason to make this remark, for the female Garefowl only laid one egg each season. From the beginning of the present century the principal descents that were made on tliis skerry have been well recorded. The first of these was perpetrated by the crew of a privateer named the Salamine, commanded by John Gilpin, but ])roV)al)ly owned by Baron Hompesch, wlio was on board. Tins vessel in 1808 visited Faroe, and her crew plundered Tiiorshavn, where they found a man named Peter Hansen, whom they forced to proceed witii them as pilot to Iceland. Tl)ey arrived at Reykjavik on July 2 Itli, and repeated their previous outrages, and on their way from Iceland visited the Geirfuglasker, where they remained a whole day killing many birds and treading down their eggs and young. They left here on the 8th August, and on their way south called at Fariie, where they landed Hansen. ■'" "Nacliiii'liti'ii vdTi Isl^iiil, Gniiiliwid uiiil ilci- Stiasso Diivis." Fniiikfurt u I.eiiizi^', 1747, S. 54. J" " TiU.iiliuleliga Kftcrretiiingiir uiii Islaiul," X'lfl, S. 4!). As iiiistriinslutiuns nccur in the Euglisli I'ltitiiiii of llorrutxjw, aiiil we havo ln.'cn unable In I'unsult his urii^inal wtnk, tlio ruailer must acCL-pt the utate- inuntH attributed to iiini with cautinn. ■" K. ()laf»s()U ou I'.alssun Ueise i-j. Islam!. Sciiic, ]77i!, I. C. S. Slti, S;U. " I'rufussor A. Newtou ou Mr. J. \Voll«y a " ISeaeurchus," llii, vol. iii., ISOl, j). 3S1. ^ THE GREAT AUK, OR GAREFOWL. Tlio next catastroplio to this Garofowl colony was in the year 1813. The war between Britain and Denmark liad resulted in the inhabitants of the Faroes being almost starved for want of supplies, and their governor, Major Lobner, sent the schooner Fariie of twelve guns to Iceland for food, placing it under the charge of Hansen, as he was already acfpiainted with the coast. When they arrived off the Geirfuglasker they were becalmed, and a boat having been lowered, its crew visited one of the skerries, on which they found nn immense concourse of birds, among them being many Great Auks. They killed all that came within their reach, and after filling their boat, numbers were left lying dead, as they intended to return for them. But as the wind freshened, Hansen made sail for Reykjavik, where about a week later they arrived on the 29t]i July. They had then twenty-four Garefowl on board, besides numbers that had been salted down.''^ It seems probable that this skerry on which these birds principally bred might have been their homo to the present time, if its volcanic submergence had not compelled the colony that inhabited it to seek a home on another islet, nearer the shore, named Eldey, which they had not previously frequented, where they became a much easier prey to their inveterate foe, mankind. (See chart.) The volcanic disturbances that caused the Geirfuglasker, off Reykjanes, to disappear, occurred in 1830, beginning about the Gth or 7th of JIarch, and a colony of tho Garefowl shortly afterwards appeared at n Elpey, " A precipitous stack perpendicular nearly all round. Tho most lofty part has been variously estimated to be from 50 to 70 fathoms in height, but on the opposite side a shelf (generally known as tho ' Underland ' ) slopes up from tho sea to a considerable elevation, until it is terminated abruptly by the steep cliff of the higher portion. At the foot of this inclined plane is tho only landing- place ; and further up, out of n^ach of tho waves, is tho spot where the Garefowls had their home." ''■' Professor "W. I'reyer, .Teiia, quoting Eggert Olafsson, who ))ublished in 1 772 his work (E. Olafsson og B. TVilsson Reise igj. Island, Sorije, 1772, 1. c. pp. 831, SOC)) says: "In former tinu^s there were rope-ladders on Eldey, and there can still be seen large nails in the rocks where the ropes were fastened." " i '1 " Mr. .r. WoUi y"8 " Hcsoarcliea," Ihia, vol. iii., ISC.l, pp. .384-381). «* iiiiii. p. :m. ' *■• " IJubor I'liuitus Iinpeniiis." von. Willi. an I'leyer. Heidelberg, 1802, p. 28. V. THE GAREFOWL SKERRIES, ICELAND. 21 _ It was at tlus skerry tliat the last pnir of Great Auks were killed in 1844 Iheir intestmcs a,ul other internal organs are now preserved in the Royal University Museum, Copenhagen, but what became of their skins, bones, and other remains appears to be unknown.^ (See also Appendix, pp. 7 and 13 nofes.) The capture of these two birds was ofTected through the efforts of an expedi- t.on of fourteen men, led by Vilhjalmur Ilukonarsson ; but only three landed on the ™ek, and they at great risk, nan.ely, SigurSr Islefsson, Ketil Ketilson, and Jon BrandsHon. Only two Great Auks were seen, and both were taken-J6n captunng the one, and SigurSr the other. This event took place between the 2d and oth J.">o 1844. It appears that this expedition was undertaken at the n.s,gat.ou of Ilerr Carl 8ien,sen, who was anxious to obtain the specimens; w,th t.l,e two dea.1 Garefowls for Reykjavik. On his journey he met Christian Han en (son of the I ansen before alluded to, who piloted the two vessels to the .e.rfuglasker), and sold them to him for eighty rigsbank-dollars, or about £9. By IWn hey were passed on to Herr Moller, who was at that time the apothe- eary at Reykjavik. ^ It is from this last station that most of the skins and eggs now found in European collections have been obtained, and it is believed that during the fourteen years they frequented this rock at least sixty Garefowls were killed. When the Geirfug asker sank, the colony of Garefowls was scattered, as a few individuals made their appearance at one or two points along the Coast of Iceland, where some were killed Vilhjalmur Hakonarsson revisited Eldey in 184G, and again n. 18G0, but neither he nor any of his party could see any Garefowls." ^rAINLAND OF ICELAM). There is a report that in 1814 seven Great Auks were killed at Latrabjarg« rrofessor A. Newton on Mr. Wolley's « Researches " mentions that a man named rhorwalder Oddsson found a Great Auk on the shore at Selvogr about 1803 or 180O, and a few years later two were killed at Ilellersknipa, between Skagen and Keblavik, probably about 1808 or 1810. Another is said to have been shot a few years later near the same spot; this, as well as the other two, was eaten ilio Ourefowl aud its Hiatomus," Natural History Itfview, 1805. „. 47U. 22 THE GREAT AUK, OR GAREFOWL. H J| In July 1821, near the sanio place, two birds were killed by a man named Jon Jonsson with a sprit or gaff, while they were sitting on a low rock. The skins were sold, but the bodies eaten. There is an niuiuthenticatcd account of one liaving been killed somewhere in South Iceland in 1818, but Etatsraad Keinhardt records the death of one in 1828.''* Professor W. Preycr states that twenty of these birds were killed at the island of Grimscy about tho time of the submorgcnco of the Geirfuglaskor, oft" Iloykjanes. This island is situated to tho north of Iceland, and is intersected by tho Arctic Circle."" This report, ho\Mever, needs confirmation, as llr. Proctor, who visited that island in 1837, and was weather-bound there for several weeks, appears never to have heard of this occurrence, as ho would most likely have done if it had been correct. Tho following letter from Mr. Proctor to Mr. II. Champley of Scar- borough is interesting : — " Univeiisity Mumkdm, Durham, Pclruurij 'JS, 1861. " Dear Sir, — Yours of the 25lh cnnao duly to hand, and would havu been answered sooner had I been at home ; and in answer I beg to inform you we have tho Great Auk in our Museum — but ni>t the cgj;. We got tho skin fiDiu Mr. Koiil of IVmcastor, I believe, about the year 1834 or 18155. Tho Kev. T. Ctisbdrne bought the skin in Dmicaster fur £1 or £8, I believe, but wlieie it was killed nr taken I do not know. I was in leehuid in tho year 1833, and made every imjuiry, and sought for it, but never saw a siiigle bird. I went to the northern part of leeland in the year 1837 in search of it again, and travelled all through the northern parts as far as Grimsey Island, a small isliind forty or fifty mih^s north of tlio mainland of leeland, but eould not meet with it'. I foinid the Littlo Auk breeding there. I never saw tlie bird alive. I never bad any oilier skin than tho one mentioned above, neither have I ever had the eggs. I have the eggs of tho Little Auk, and a great many other eggs on hand. — I remain, your most obedient servant, " W. I'llOCTOU." It is as well to mention that there is another island named Grimsey, which is situated near the entrance to Steingrimsfjordr in the Iluna Floi, North Iceland ; but Professor W. Preyer's statement is so clear that this cannot bo the island ho refers to, and we can only conclude that his information regarding tho more northerly island of the .same name is incorrect. *" I'npfessor A. Newton on Sir. .T. Wolloy's " lU'scarclics," Hit. v.,1. iii., IHOI, \^\^. 3,'. 23. I'rofi-«»or Htceustrup informs us, \'M\ April 188D, that he tliluk:t tbe uccunouce of these twenty Great Auks at Grimsey more than doubtful. ' ti REPORTED OCCURRENCES OF THE GREAT AUK. 23 ♦f ■ Otheu Localities. The other localities at which the occurrence of the Garefowl has been re- portoil wince 1800 are as follows ; It is mentioned that a specimen was picked up dead on Linuly Island, but this needs confirmation.''' In ilay 183t two speci- mens were captured near tlin entrance to Watert'ord harbour, and one of tliese is now preserved as a stuffed skin in the Museum of Trinity College, Dublin. The other was unfortunately destroyed through the ignorance of its captors." In February 18H' the Rev. Josi'ph Stojjford communicated to Dr. ITarvey of Cork that a Great Aide had been obtained on the long strand of Castle Freke in the west of County Cork, and that the bird had been water-soaked in a storm. He did not give any date for this event, but it is generally understood that a number . 2;iS. "3 Ibid. p. •2:iS, !'* Iliid. p. 2;!!l. " DoKlaiid, " Oriiitlioloyic Eur.," ii, p. .V_'!l ; also in Jt. Uardj's "Catalogue dea Oiseaux Jo la Sciiie-Iii- furieurc." ,5i»' 'HI I! '«4 THE GREAT AUK, OR GAREFOWL \ '■ tiiry. A tload bird is said to liave been found nour Frodorilvsstttd in Norway duriay the winter of 1 838." In addition to the instances narrated two occurrenceH of the Great Auk nro roporti'd frain iiilimd situiitioiis in Pnuiu, but one of these has been declared by the hito Sir William Hooker," on whose authority the statenu'nt was made, to have been a, mistake,''* and the other made by Fleming is evidently ftlso an error/* Wlien at St. Kilda in Juno 1880, :\rr. 1{. Scot Skirving nu't :\fr. Mackenzie, the factor for Mudeod of Maclcod, and heard from hiiu that in 181 !■ he saw .shot at a place on the coast of the island of Skye what he now believed to be a Great Auk, though at the time the bird was killed all ho knew was that it wna ii stranger to him, and having seen a Great Northi-rn Diver only u short time before, he did not think it was one of them. Mr. ilackeuzio stated that ho was taking a walk along the .shore when he met a man named Jialcolm Macleod, who was out trying to get a shot at sea birds. In the course of their walk they saw a very large bird, which ^Macleod succeeded iu .shooting, and as it was some distance from the shore they had to get a boat to secure its body. They thought in the distance it was a Great Northern Diver, but when they got the dead bird they were at once struck with its remarkable appearance, as it difl'ered from any bird they had ever seen. What the renuu'kablo dilferences were do not appear Very clear, as they did not observe the bill to be strikingly large ; and what attracted Mr. Mackenzie's attention principally were the large claic.% which were, so far as ho recollects, one and a (puirter inches broad and not more that one thick. lie got Macleod to give him the feet of the bird, which he says he kept until 18G0, when they were lost during u flitting, lie did not notice anything particular about the size of the wings. It was numy years after the bird was shot before iR[r. Mackenzie saw figures of the Great Auk, but on seeing the pictures he thought that the bird ho saw killed in 1811 wius the same in appearance. Mr. Scot Skirving, having obtained the address of JIacleod, who resided in Greenock, wrote him, and he remembered the shooting of the bird when with Mr. Mac- kenzie cpiite well, and says he shot another of the same kind immediately after near the same place. The words he uses ire : " I shot the one like to-day and the other like to-morrow." . . . "I never saw the like of them before or after. " "The Garefowl mid its lIi»toiittn»," Natural History licview, 18(m, p. -IC!). Profussiir Stecnstrup, ];!tli April 1S8."), siiys, " All the reported occurronces of the Great Auk in the (.'atti,;at are insufficicutly attesteil." .. OOO ....... '' IIju; lK(il, p. .•!:«, note. '^ "Liniiiiinn Society Tmnsactlons, " vol. xv. p. (il. '^ " lirilinU Auiuiula," |>. 130. \i .Mil DOUBTFUL OCCURRENCE AT THE ISLAND OF SKYE. 25 Tliey were ulioiit tlio sizo oF n goo.se, but iiioro gnici'l'iil iii tlio sliiipo of tlie body. I Imvo si'en tho picture of the Great Auk in tlie ' Eucyclopiuiliii," uuil it rcinintls me of the binlH. I cannot sny I rcniember every ])articuiur ulwut tho ninke of tho birds. Thoy wore dnrk on tho coat, with white breosts and smull winf,'s. I tliink I uliot tliom iiboiit I'orty years 11^0." Miicleod wrote tiiis infornmtion in iiSHO, so by his uecount tiio birds would be shot about 1810 iind not 181- !•. As Macleod must have been accustomed to observe sea birds, it is unlikcOy ho would havo passed over unnoticed tho remarkable beak of tho Great Auk, if these had been such birds; and besides, when J[r. Mackenzie j?ot tho feet of tho first specinien, Macleod took away tho head as a tropiiy, so he had every opportunity of remarking any poculiaritiea if such had existed. We candidly confess having great doubts as to the possibility of these birds luiving been Great Auks, ipiite apart from tho very doubtful evidence. If we tako 1810 as the date at which tliey wore shot, there is a sleiuler possibility that two specimens of Aha impcnnis might havo found their way to the shores of Skye ; but if ilr. Mackenzie is correct, and ho seems to liave little doubt of the date he gives, then it is most unlikely and against all probability, as tlie last pair were killed at thi! beginning of Juno 1811 on Kldey. It is rather curious that during the correspondence that has taken place between Mr. K. Scot Skirving, Mr. Mackenzie, and Macleod, the locality in Skyo at which the birds were shot is not mentioned. It is easy to throw doubt on the identity of these birds with the Great Auk, but it is not so easy to say what other birds they could be except Great Northern Divers, and perhajjs they were only these after all in some particular state of plumage with which Mr. ^fackenxie and ^lacleod were ipiite unfamiliar. Some ornithologists have indulged in the lio})0 that in some hitherto unex- plored part of the Northern Seas wo would yet find the living Garefowl, but it ai)pears to us that all hope of such a discovery has long since died out. For numy years past part of the standing instructions to the naturalists who have accompanied the Arctic expeditit)ns has been, "Look out for the (Jrt'at Auk;" but expedition after expedition has returned without any trace of the living bird having been found. The Europeans resident in Greenland are well aware of the value of its renuiins and the interest that attaches to its existence. They have been on tho outlook for it during the last twenty-live or thirty years at least, and yet they luive not a single occurrence to report. We are indebted to Mr. K. Champley for kindly sending us the following correspondence from the Arctic explorers. Sir F. Leopold M'Clintock, Captains John Uae and Allen Young: — m 36 THE GREAT AUK, OR GAREFOWL. 48 HaRDWICK iSTREKT, DUBUN, 9(A January, 1860. Sir, — In reply to your note, I have to inform you tliat the Great Auk lias not been met witli by any of the modern Arctic expeditions. I was told in South Greenland that some twenty.five years ago a young specimen was obtained, but am not at all certain of the fact. Thj resident Europeans are quite aware of the value attached by naturalists to that bird, so have kept a sharp look-out for it. I have myself collected birds during my four Arctic voyages, all of which are now in the Museum of the Royal Dublin Society. I am not aware of there being any new species amongst them. — I am, sir, yours faithfully, F. L. M'CUNTOCK. R. CuAMPLKY, Esq., Scarborough, ^^^ fij '■i H.M.S, " BuLLDOo," Portsmouth, 2Ut November, 1860. Sir, — Nothing has come to my knowledge respecting the Great Auk during my late voyage to Iceland, Greenland, and Labrador. Captain Young will have quite equal and perhaps greater opportunities than I have had of ascerfciining whether it still exists in any of those Northern seas. — I am, sir, faithfully yours, ¥. Leopolp M'Ci.intouk. R Champlby, Esq. 43 Hertford Strkkt, Matfair, London, 26(A November, 1860. Sir, — I regret that I have little or no information to give you about the Great Auk, although I questioned many persons in Iceland about ti.is rare if not extinct bird. An ineffectual search for them was made some time ago on an island or islands N.W. {sic S.AV.) of Iceland, where they had previously been not uncommcn, as bones are found there still — Believe me, your obedient servant, John Rae. R, Champley, Esq. R. CuAMPLEY, Esq., Scarborough. Steam Survbyino Ship "Fox," Southampton, November 30, ISiiH. Sir, — In reply to your question whether we saw a Groat Auk, I caii > " Uelios of the (ireiit Auk on Funk Islaml." Mr. .John Milno, 1S74. Also in Field newspaper, 27t1i Marcli, 3(1 anil 10th April 18"."i. " " Zoolouicul Transactions," vol. v. p. 330. I'riifessor Owen's Description of Skeleton of Aim im)>eii>ni, L. " "Newfoundland as it Was, and as it Is in 1877." By the Kev. Thilip Tocquo, M.A. London and Toronto, 1S7H. Mentioned by U. Gray, Ksq., " I'roceediiigH Koyul Souiety," Edinburgh, 1S71I-S0, p. 677. " " Field and Forest Kamlilcs." A. Leith Adams, p. 30. " Professor iSteenstrup. in a letter datcil IJJth March 1885, lias been kind enough to inform us that the Mr. 'Wyman referred to is Professor .lelfries Wynian, the cehbrated anatomist. '-'' "American Naturalist," vol. i. pji. .'>74 .^78. Also in a paper by I'rofesaor James Orton. The copy of this |)aper, which we have seen, has evidently been cut out of some suientilic magazine, or tht proceedings of a society ; but we do not know its source further than that it is evidently from the United States. It treats of the American remains, and refers specially to the skin jirei^orved in the Smithsonian Institution, AVushington. In a footnote to page 540 the author says, that in New Kngland bones of the s|iccies (Ureut Auk) have been discovered in shell-lieapa at Marblehead, UaglehiU iu Ipswich, aud I'lumb Island. I -TTfrif TW ■_ ( 31 ) CHAPTER V. THE REMAINS OF THE GAREFOWL IN DENMARK AND ICELAND. JJAVING now treated of the American locality, we shall turn to tue European been tZr,i::LT'^ " ''-' ' '''-' --^' '' ''- -^- ^'- '- Denmark. We believe it is to Professor Steenstrup of Copenhagen that the credit nttaches of hanng identified the first bones of the Garefowl known to haveTeen IZe ;° f "P^;:'"^^' '"'': '^'^ "^ ^* Meilgaard in Jutland. As we are not awa e tha any of hxs papers have been even partially published in English, we have bt ined the per™:ss.on of Professor Steenstrup to give some translations of parts of then,, kindly furnished us by a friend. The first extract we give is the begin- he Great Auk, and it was the discovery of the first bones of the Alca in^pennis bird HeTa,°"- ' ''' ''"'""^ '*""^*™P *° '''''^ '^^ ^-^^/^^ t^e " In the investigation of the kitchen-midden of the primeval people (Over- B-gt over Vidonskab, 8elskabs, Forhaudlinger, 1855, S. 1.-20 og 385-388), mong other remains were found some traces of two of the largor bWs not no^^ found here, vi. , the Capercaillie (mrao urojallus, L.), and of a larger bird of the Auk tribe, which must be regarded as the as good as extirpated Garefowl. Since the itst- named bird has not been found in the last few decenniums-no, not ev en in th s he some few miles from the south coast of Iceland ; and since the further appear- ance of scattered specin.ens, driven towards the north or western coa^o 31 belong to the class of the greatest rarities, the proof of the existence of man v ^1-— ^h^ar^ „,La,ly be very TurX Ice m 32 THE GREAT AUK, OR GAREFOWL. \ V.-.i 1 i that must indicate that this bird was three or four thousand years ago found down the Cattegat. " The more unexpected this discovery was, the more important was it for me to be able to place beyond doubt the explauatioa of the discovered bones. This was all the more diflScult, as no skeleton of this rare bird existed either in our own museum, or, so far as is known, in any other museums." But as I, on the one hand, found perfect agreement between the discovered bones and the corre- sponding bones of all the lesser European birds of the Auk tribe, and on the other hand found certain peculiarities that distinguished the former from the latter, I could scarcely go wrong in declaring the bird to which the bones belonged to be, in the first place, a bird of the Auk tribe ; in the second place, an Auk of the size of a goose ; and lastly, an Auk in the highest degree fitted for swimming and diving, but utterly unsuited for flight, — a state of matters only applying among all known species of this family to the Alca iinpcunis of Linnaaus. In this opinion I was quite confirmed by a remarkable combination of circumstances. Among a little circle of Scandinavian naturalists it was known that the Nor- wegian naturalist, P. Stuvitz, whom his Government had sent out on account of the fisheries to Newfoundland and the adjacent parts of the North American continent, had sent homo some bones of birds from a little i.sland off the coast either of Labrador or Newfoundland. These bones were found in large heaps on the shore, and after their arrival in this country they were declared to bo the bones of the Garofowl. This could be asserted of them all the more certainly as there were found among them, in addition to all the essential bones of the skeleton, a not inconsiderable number of crania, and these crania agreed in every respect with those which one had from the few stufl'ed specimens. Some of those bones, sent by Stuvitz, had luckily been presented to the Zootomical Museum of the University, and, moreover, some of them belonged to the same parts of the skeleton as the bones now under discussion that had been found in the primitive kitchen-middens.^ On laying the two sets side by side, one could not doubt that it was birds of the same species that had been eaten in both places, and thus the liones from our kitchen-middens found the best materials for their perfectly certain ' For list of skeletons, see p. K2. These were not reconied at the time Professor .J. Hteenstrup wrote his imper, so were quite unknown to liini. ** III .1 letter ditted l.")th Sliirch ISSf) Professor Steenstiup informs us as follows ie|;ar(liiig these hones : — " Presented to the Zootomical Museum of thu Koyal University here. Tlie director of this museum was at that time Professor Kschricht. After his death the cuuteuls uf *.hU museum weut partly to the Zoological and partly to the I'hysiological Museum." ^mE^sp ■5- DANISH REMAINS. 33 explanation in bones from similar refuse heaps on the east coast of North America, which up to that time had not received the attention which they deserved." The foregoing gives a very accurate account of the obstacles that had to be overcome by the now venerable scientist, and every person interested in the history of the Garefowl must feel under a debt of gratitude to him for his labours and be encouraged by the success of his investigations when surrounded by apparently insurmountable difficulties. The bones from Meilgaard were three in number — viz., two right humeri and a radius from the right side of the bird, and were discovered in an ancient kitchen- midden. Two of these bones were figured (a humerus and a radius, two views of each) along with three bones of the Capercaillic, and form the principal plate to the elaborate paper on the Great Auk published by Professor J. Steenstrup, and from which we have just given a short (juotation. Tiiis plate has been reproduced with even greater excellence than at first, and appears in connection with another Danish publication issued during 1855,^ and in which the following description of the bones is given along with the writer's comments. He says — " I have recognised the remains of the Great Auk or Garefowl, AIca imjicnnis, h, in several bones from Meilgaard. That this large northern bird, the only bird in Eui'ope which on account of the smallness of its wings is not in a condition to tly, should occur among the remains of the meals of our primeval people must certainly appear in the highest degree striking, but it receives corroboration from the following bones found there : — " I. A riijlit humcnis, agreeing entirely in form with the humerus of an Alca tarda or razorbill, but in size double of it, 4 inches (Danish) long, 7 lines (Danish) broad, and, since the bone formation in this group of birds is so significant, certainly^ pointing to an Auk in size like a goose. The bone belongs fortunately to the few that have not been injured by the gnawing of dogs, but it bears on its surface one or two sharp scratches, marks of the knives of the primeval inhabi- tants. It belongs to an old bird. "II. Aiwt/icr hiiinrri'.s from the same side, and conseciuontly belonging to another individual. It is not nearlj' so much compressed as the foregoing, and thus belongs perhaps to a somewhat younger bird ; both its ends are bitten off, and * I'lulersosjclsiT i K^ologisk -niitiiivarisk Kctiiiiig af CI. Foiclilinninicr, Etatsrnail og Professor, J. Steen- Btrup, IVofessiir, og J. Worsaai', I'rofL'ssor. Kjii'ienliavn, IMu'i. Tiaiisliitcil - Hesearclics in Geology ami Auti- (fuities, by Privy t'ouncillor ami IN'oftjs^or U. Forcliliuiuincr, Professor .1, Steenstrup, and Professor J. Worsaae, t'opeuhageu, 1S55, pp. 105 171. (Uei>riut froui Proceejiugs of Koyal Uauish Societj of Sciences.) T mil Hi m 34 THE GRl jk, or GAREFOWL. bear marks of tlie edges of teetli. The cavity insiile is less tlian in the Alca tordu, and points to the conclusion that the lurcl was not able to fly.° " III. 2'hc nuUus from the right side of an old bird, slightly injured at the ends. Its peculiar short compressed form is entirely ditlerent from that of the Alca torda, and showa conclusively that the forearm has been short, and that the wing has not been adapted for flight, as is the case in the Ahu inqicnniti, L. " Now, unless wo suppose that these bones belong to some extinct and hitherto unknown species of Auk, which 1ms had not only the same size but tho same proportion in its wing as tho Great Auk, we can only refer them to that now as good as extinct bird. On placing the bones above mentioned alongside of tho corresponding bones of the Great Auk and comparing them, I found such a com- plete agreement that I cannot entertain the slightest doubt that they belong to that species. As, however, it must bo acknowledged that no skeleton of this bird exists in our museums, and indeed will hardly be found in any nnisoum in Europe," I shall add that that comparison was conducted in the case of the rtidiushy means of the perfect forearm and hand (wing and wing extremities), which were taken for that purpose out of the stuffed specimen of this rare bird belonging to the Uni- versity ; whilst the two humeri were compared with some loose bones which Pro- fessor Eschricht at the Naturalist's Congress at Christiania got for tho Zootomical Museum of the University,^ and which the deceased Norwegian naturalist, P. Stuvitz, had collected in his time on an island near tho coast of Labrador (dc^ should be Newfoundland) ; it so happening by good chance that among them there were found two liumeri, and these too belonging to the sumo side of the bird as the humeri in question. " The unexpected appearance of this bird's bones in a kitchen-midden in tho innermost part of the Cattegat cannot but call forth speculations as to tho cause of its being found there, seeing that the Great Auk now lives so far from our coasts, and has such a limited area of diffusion. It is certainly possible that its ' M'c do not give a rcprmluiliim of tlic pliite in connection witli Prof. .T. Steenstriip's vnluablo paper, a« wo give illustrations of liumori fonnil in Scotland. See p. 44 :inil ri;ite p. Hi), " At the time tlie above was written, tlielearneil Profea.sor wa.seviilently unaware of some of the skeletons of the Alra iiHpfmiiA, I,., preserved in Knt-opea^i Museum (see p. 82). Professor Steenstruj) writes lis on inth Ifarch 1S8.1, and referring to the note saya, "I think that the respective musennis did not know them- selves that they possessed tho inquirem although only in exceedingly few and rare individuals, on the Fiircie Islands (Mohr. Landt.), perhaps also on the rocks off the coast of Siindmiir (Striim), whilst already at the beginning of that century it had become a casual visitant, which was seen only now and then after intervals of many years, at St. Kilda, the westmost of the Scottish islands (Macaulay), where, however, it had regularly bred, on to near the end of the seventeenth century (Martin). " On the American side of the North Atlantic Ocean the Great Auk does not seem to have had any better fate, for the older accounts (those of Egedo, Crantz, Glahn, Fabricius) show us clearly enough that the Great Auk was seen regularly a hundred years ago, although extremely rare, off the coasts of Southern Greenland, and that it bred there at least now and then (Fabricius) ; but these few remains had, as it seems, altogether disappeared by the beginning of this century (HoUboU and Heinhardt). " Its appearance on the Labrador coast is more than doubtfid. Now, as we know no bird to which nature has given such a limited diffusion and an exist- ence in so few individuals, we are bound, after the analogy of all other higher animals, and especially of those more nearly allied, to assume that the Great Auk has in times past had a much wider area of dispersion ; and as we have been able in the last two or three centuries to see it disappear more and more from the more southerly zones of its area, it is reasonable to suppose that this limitation in its diffusion had begun in earlier centuries, and that in these early times the bird went much further down along the coasts of England (sic, he means Britain) and Scandinavia, but was gradually forced to disappear from them in consequence of the persecutions of man. For, being unable to fly, it was entirely in man's power whenever it crept up upon the lower rocks and cliffs of the shore, as, of course, must have been the case during hatching time ; and even if the old bird should escape man by seeking the water betimes and abandoning to him its egg or its downy chicken, still the species would suffer then a heavier loss than would any of the other birds inhal)iting the sea cliffs, inasmuch as these in general attempt to lay a second or a third set of eggs, which the Great Auk never does. From such a southern breeding-zone it might easily be conceivinl that the bird also could reach the Cattcgat more regularly during the colder months by swim- ming — if it should not be preferred to suppose the birds lived here also through the summer months, which I do not think at all improbable. It is difficult to see how it should not thrive here equally well with the many birds allied to it, the razorbill, for example. Naumann thinks that the history of the puffin pre- DANISH REMAINS. 37 sents a similar phenomenon, for in former times that bird inliabited the cliffs of Heligoland in a large colony, but has now diniinishod to a very small one, and when that little colony has disappeared, as will bo the case, it is to bo feared, in a Hhort time, then the zone within which the puflin breeds will have its limit shifted all at once several degrees to tho north and west. " Writers often express themselves regarding the Great Auk as if they assumed that its individuals withdrew northwards in consequenco of persecu- tions to more inaccessible places, and as if they ought to be found in large numbers along the shores of Spitzbergen and North America; but to judge from what we have learned np to this time (1855), there would seem to be little foundation for any such assumption. St itz came upon bones of it in large numbers on tho little island of Fvi/o {sir, should be Funk Island), off the shores of Labrador (sic, should bo Newfoundland), but these bones belonged solely to birds that had been eaten ; living ones do not seem to exist on these coasts. Did they exist there they would bo seen now and then, specimens would occasionally Hud their way to Europe, and tho biril would not remain the rare and costly thing it is. "In conclusion, it is a noteworthy coincidence that the bones of this bird, found in the kitchen-middens of the primitive inhabitants of Denmark, should find their best elucidation in bones found under similar circumstances in Labrador (sic, should bo Newfoundland)." The foregoing are the conclusions formed in the mind of tho learned Pro- fessor at the time of tho discovery of tho first remains of tho Great Auk in Denmark, but since that time his opinions have received remarkable confirmation ; and during the summer of the following year (1856), a second discovery was made in a kitchen-midden at Havelse, situated at tho southern part of tho Issefiord in Seeland, which led I'rofessor Steenstrup to write another paper on '" the Alca ivqunnis, L. Of that paper we are enabled to givo tlio following translation: — " From the kitchen-midden of the primeval inhabitants at Havelse, I have during tho present summer (1850), got for the museum a number of bones, jjartly collected by myself and partly by Herr Feddersen, who by tho work of collecting lias more than onco aided my pakcological researches. The most important of the contributions thereby made to the investigations of our pre-historic fauna '" Unileraogclser i geologisk— nnticivurisk Retiiing p.( fl. Forchlmmmer, J. Steenstru)), og J, 'Worsaoe, Pro. fesnors. Kjoboiilmvn, 1856. Translated— Researches in Geology and Autiiiuities, by Professors G. Forcli- Immnier, J. Stoenstniii, and J. Worsuae. Copeuhngen, 1856, pp. 1S5 88. 1 lij me 38 THE GREAT AUK, OR GAREFOWL. m undoubtedly n hinncriiK duj^ up by Ilcrr Fuddersnu, boldiigiiitj to 11 bird of tho Ho-cnllcd black fiuuily (Sivi/fiii/li),^^ (ind of that family in particuliir to an Auk. That Iwne hos at tho same tinio belonged to an individual that mu.st have boon larger than tho largest specimen of our common Auk, tho razor- bill (Alf'i (onla, L.), whilst it is considerably smaller than the corresponding bone of the Great Auk (AIca iwjiiiiniif, L.), as will bo seen if tho reader will compare tho woodcuts on tho next page wilh figure 4 in my last paper (see Professor Steon- strup's original papore, or compare reproduction of woodcut, p. 38, with figs. 10, 11, 12, 15, i)late, p. 80), which represents in exactly its natural size tho same bone of the Great Auk, and that too from the same side. Besides the size of tho bone, wo must also notice its very small and much com- pressed inner cavity, and its exceedingly thick osseous walls. Tho smallness of tho cavity shows that tho bone could not have come from any flying bird, and, taken along with tho thickness of tho osseous walls, shows also that that want of capacity to fly is not to bo explained by the hypothesis that the bird was a young one with imperfectly developed wings, but rather by supposing that it was an old bird of a kind altogether unsuited for flight, as is the case with the Alf(t impennis. L. If, contrary to what now seems most natural, an increased supply of Great Auk hemes should prove that the bono rather belonged to a young bird, and this may happen, for there does not seem to be at present in tho museums of Europe a single perfect skeleton of the bird,'" much less bones of birds of different ages, then we have proof not only that the bird was found in prehistoric times on our islands and their fjords, but also that it lived there during its breeding season. But if tho bone belongs, as everything seems to indicate, to an old bird, then it shows cither that the Alca impennis, L., must have presented an unusual diversity of size, or else that it must " "Svartfugle"=tlie family of /I'rnfm, cinituining tlie genera Vriu, Alia, Meiyvltm, Miirnum, nnmod Mack binU because tlieir colnur is so ilark, coiitrasting witli tlie wliite or wliitisli coliiur of tlic (iiffcreiit specii'S of Lnrua Biul Fulmurus, uestiin; oil the same iilaces, oi seen iii their iiciijbbourhuod. '- Sea Hole, p. 'M. Roprr>ilnctinu of figure of r» hiwirrHndng nil by lUrr KuJiUrseii iii 18,')ll. -!P DANISH REMAINS. 39 liivvo had co-existent with it n smaller Bpccios likewise unsnited for flight, whicli has ilisappcnred and been extirpated along with it. This latter appearH to mo tho more probable theory. Be that as it may, however, this bone certainly raises interesting questionr, materials for whoso solntion it will be important to gather." " Professor Steenstrup then goes on to state liis opinions as to tho area over which the Great Ank lias been distributed. lie refers to the great numbers of the birds on tho islands off tho coasts of North America during historic times, mentions Funk Island as its last stronghold in that region, and states that tho mistake he made in his former paper '* regarding tho name of this island, when referring to tho riMuains obtained by Ilerr Stuvitz, arose from the tickets attached to tho bones bearing tho namo of Fogo Island. In answer to our inquiries for information regarding the further tllscovcries of Great Auk remains in Denmark, Professor Steenstrup writes as follows, under date 8th April 18H2 : "The other localities where I liave found, or from where I liavo got tho Iwnes of the Garefowl, aro the kitchen-middens at Fannerup, not far from Aleilgaard, and at Gudumlund, some English miles south of the Limfjord, consequently also in Jutland, and here in Scelanil from Sillager kitchen-middeu situated at tho northern jjart of the Issefjord." Some of the Kjiikkenmilddings or kitchen-middens have long been known in various parts of Denmark, and at one time were supposed to be raised beaches, because they were found scattered along tho sea coast, especially on tho slopes or banks of tho n\imerous fjords which now or formerly intersected tho country. At length it was discovered that these supposed raised beaches were really artificial, and contained the remains of a prehistoric population and fauna that belonged to *' III oonneotion with whiit Profeasor Steenstrup mentions, wo would refer tho rentier to a remark mmlo by Mr. Kyton, who bccunie the potsHOsanr of one of tlie Great Auk skeletons constructed from bones brought from Kunk Isliintl («eo p. 100). In writing to rrofessor Williain ISIasius, who (quotes his let'.r in his work ("ITeberrcste Von Aloii inipennis " p. l.'i,'t), he says : "This skeleton was so ilifTerent in appearance from that to be found in Newton's collection jnJ figured by Owen, that ho could almost suppose there had been two species of Oreat Auk." ProfeKsor IMasitm, after ([Uoting this statement, remarks: "To judge from tho figures, Kyton 8 skidetou ajipiara to have belonged to a small female bird, whereby proliably tho diversity canbeuxidained." Pinfessor Steenstrup, in a letter to us dated Ith February lS,'-5, says: " ' I'nknown variety of (Ireat .Vuk,'- so I tlieii said ; but since that time the many bones (>f Ah''t iiufitnnig, brought from a small island near the coast of Newfoundlauil {Funk- I.ififntt)t liave >hown us a rather great variation. I think not less n ipiile iiitliri'liinl tlian a sexual variation." Professor Xewtnii, in his pa|ier on Mr, .1, Wolley's " Ue- searclies," //, makes the following statement regarding the bones found in Iceland : "Among the si)eeimens wo collected there arc several iu which certain ditlvrvuces, probubly the result of age or 8e.\, uro observable." •♦ See page 37 of this vol. I,--'; ""Hnig.ir " W l T'' i ''"'r^'B PT'*' IW i ffTB 40 THE GREAT AUK, OR GAREFOWL, m\ the Stone Ago. As might be expected, tlio Kjdkkonmodding.s vary greatly in size and appearance. One of the largest and earliest explored isthatofMeilgaard, situated about two miles from the sea in a beautiful beach forest called " Aigholm Wood," between which and the sea are high dunes of drifting sand, through which the tops of trees are sometimes seen protruding. This shell mound covers an oblong space of about 310 feet in length and 120 in breadth, with a deposit of a maximum thickness of 10 feet. The Kjiikkenmodding at Fannerup is now about ten miles from the sea, situated ou the border of a flat district which within historic times has been an arm of the sea, but afterwards became a fresh-water lake, and is now to a certain extent dry land. The one at Gudumhuid was situated on a southern expansion or bay of the Limfiord, but at present is separated from the sea by an extensive peat bog." Wo have b(>en unable to ascertain the date of the discovery of the Fannerup middens, and also the number of bones of the Aka impcnnis, L., obtained at this locality. The excavations at Gudumluiid and Siilnger were continued during 1873, and resulted in the finding of bones of three individuals at each place.'" The work at both places was conducted by the director of the Zoological Museum and his friends, and the ex|ienses of the excavations at SiJlager were borne by the Royal Danish Society of Sciences. The result of these investigations at the dwelling-places of the ancient inhabitants of the coasts of Denmark has been "' "Danish Kjiikkeiimuilclings, their Facta Hiul Inferences." l>y Robert Munro, Esq., M.. A., M.D. "I'ro- cce(lin!!» of Scottish .Society of Antiquiiries," IHSH-S-I, pp. 21C-225. This writer stiitcs thut the organic re- niiiins founil in tlio Kjiikkenmiiililings iiix- as follows ; — 1. S//f//rf.f/i.— Oyster, cockle, find mussel (most coin!n"n), Vi'inia iKthiiitt'nt V. aurc;W»im), eel, and flounder or dub. 3. JUriis, — Kugle, cormorant, mew. wild duck and goose (most conmion), swan {Cygnus ulur ct inusit'us), capercailzie {Tt'lytui ifroiniUns), and groat auk {Aii'n iniiifnitin). 4. ;l/((m)H(i/i(i.— Stag, roedeer, and wild boar (most common), virus (/*os priiiiii/eiiiiia), dog, fox, wolf, marten (Mnntiln nuirtct et fuinu), bedgeihtg, otter, seal, iioijioise, water-rat, mouse, beaver, wild cat, lynx, and bear {Ui;iifn arct(t.f). 5. Veijftii'ile yiVm«i)is.— Except ashes and ebarcoal, the litter of which on being ."inalysed w..i found to belong mostly to a species of pine, and tlie cliai led remains of some kind of uea plant, no other ])rotluct3 of the vegiiablo kingdom were found in any of the Kjiikkenmiiildings. From the above list it will he observed that, except in the solitary instance of the dog, the ordinary domestic animals, as tlie eominon liarn fowl, domestic ox, horse, sheep, goat, and dnjiiestic hog, are unrepre- sented. In addition, we have al.-o to note the absence of the mammoth and all the tjtberextinct or emigrated mainmalia of the raheolithic period, including the leindeer, bison, nioosedeer (t\niis ulccs), musk ox, and hare. " Professor Steenstrup informs u» in a letter, dateil lolh March IW,"), " that excavations were carrieil on at both (judumluud and .Solager several tiuien jjrior to 1873 without any remains of Alca iiiUKiiiiia being found." '. DANISH KyOKKENMODDINGS. 41 to prove conclusively that the Groat Auk was more than a casual visitant of its shores. About 150 of these Kjijkkenraoddings are now known in Denmark." Up to the year 1809 only about 40 of tliese had been examined'* by the committee of investigation appointed bj' the lloyal Society of Sciences of Copenhagen. This committee consisted of Professor Steenstrup, Dr. Worsiie, and tho late M. Forch- hammer, representing the respective branches of science, biology, archaeology, and geology. Since 18G9 a few more of those kitchen-middens have b?e.^ exa- mined, but it is evident tliere is much work yet to be done. No one can doubt that we only stand on the threshold of this branch of inquiry as to Great Auk archicology, and it is to be hoped that tho encourage- ments of the past may induce the younger archteologists of Denmark to follow in the footsteps of their worthy predecessors with an enthusiasm as great as that which has led to tho attainment of such splendid results in the past. I* Iceland. On the 21st of May 1858, Mr. (now Professor) A. Newton and Mr. J. Wolley arrived at Kyrkjuvogr, in Iceland. The following day the latter gentleman picked up fVnin a lieap of blown sand two or three humeri of the Alca impcnnis. This led to further searcli being made by both in all likely localities during their stay, but with variable and sometimes disappointing results, as, when their re- searches caused them to excavate some ancient kitchen-middens, where naturally they expected to discover bones of tho Garefowl, they were invai'iably dis- appointed ; and it was only by careful observation when travelling about that they found some of tho bones they had been looking for. In tho wall of the churchyard at K\-rkjnvogr several bones of tho Garefowl wore got sticking in the turf which is used to bind the walls together, and finding this turf had been cut from a small hillock close by, it was searched, with the result that among a large number of bones of other Alcidcr were discovered several of the Alca impcnnis, L. TIio greatest find was, however, at Baejasker, where Mr. J. Wolley one day as he was riding along called out that he saw two bones of the Garefowl lying upon the ground. On dismounting ho found them to be tho distal ends of tlie humeri, and apparently a \yMv ; going to the spot, Professor Newton found a " " Kiirly Iron Aj;o," p. i. Kiiijolliiu'ilt. '9 Cumple Hindu " luteruutiuuiil Cuug. d'AutUio. c>t d'Arcb,," 4th sesaion, p, 135. » 42 THE GREAT AUK, OR GAREFOWL. radius of the same bird. This locality waa ciirefuUy examined on two other occasions, and some other remains recovered, and it is believed that these must have belonged tc it least eight individual birds.^' From what Professor Newton tells us, he and Mr. WoUey apparently got bones representing at least two Gare- fowls in the heap of blown sand at Kyrkjuvogr, also in the wall of the churchyard of the same place, and in a small hillock in the vicinity, a number of bones were found presumably representing several Garefowls, and then we are told that at Baejasker bones representing at least eight individuals of the same bird were obtained. What became of all these bones we are not told ; but, in a valuable paper written in 1870, the learned Professor only enumerates bones representing eight individuals, and states they are in his own collection, and mentions they were got by Mr. Wolley and himself in Iceland, and quotes the Ihis for 1861, which we ho'-e just referred to for information regarding tliem.^° ■' Professor A. Newton's Paper on Mr. J. WoUey's " Researches, " pp. 394-fi, Ibis, vol. iii., 1861. -» Professor A. Newton on E.xisting Kemains of the Garefowl, Ibis, April 1870, p. 2og (Catii^ famiUaris or faniiUaris /on- m'/is). Fox (Canis '■ii/pes). Rabbit (Lepiix Cu,iiculiii<), perliaps recent. Cetacea. (iniinpus(Z>e/;,/„',„^, „,.„,) or small whale. J)olphin (lMi,hinusiMphis) or some othei' f^niall cctacoaii. Birds. Creat Auk (Ah-a impennis). Lesser Auk or razorbill {Alca funla). Cormorant (P/ialacrororax mrbo). Shag {Phahicrocorax gvaculiis). Solan Coose {Siila hassana). ' " Proceeaiugs of t!,o ..V„ti,,uark.s of Scotlaml," ^^1. i., new seric, is:!,,,,. a » nUl. II. 79. ?: I II 46 THE GREAT AUK, OR GAREFOWL. Dr. J. Alex. Smith has also identified a portion of tho antler of a reindeer.® In addition to these remains, Mr. (now Dr.) J. Anderson recovered bones representing the following, which were named by Mr. G. W. Busk : \h The large Guillemot. A small Bos Taunis. A very large fo.x. Birds. I The Great Auk {Alca imjpemm). Mammalia. Small mature shet^p. A very young lamb. All these remains are thought to be comparatively recent, and to belong to the late period of the occupation of the Broch near which they were found ; but as there is a bone of the reindeer, which probably became e.vtinct in Scotland about seven centuries ago, as it is last mentioned in the " Orkneyinga Saga " in the year 1150 A.D., the deposits most likely had been formed at a period previous to that time. ' " Procaediugs of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, " vol. i. now series, 1879, p. 76, 77. I ( 47 ) CHAPTER VII. BRITISH REMAINS OF THE GAREFOWL-cmtimud. Oronsav. r|lHE most recent discovery of bones of the Garefowl must now come under con- u"p to if ' ''"' "^ ^''" ^^'^'^^^'^^ ^° ^^^^ - ~* «f tJ^e events that Td During the summer of 1879 the writer formed one of a small party who visaed the Island of Colonsay, to which is attached at low water the'Slnd of Orc«.say, the intervening strand being dry ibr about three hours each tide The islands were so interestmg that we felt we had entered upon a new field for study' nnt? V/v, ^'^^ ^' "'^'^ ^" '^'' ^^""-^^ °f °"'- ™°^bles we endeavoured to aXu"' "^"" ^"^^^"^"^' ''-'-- '' ''^ — ^^"^«. whether natural o^ At the beginning of May 1880 we returned to the islands a second time and were struck with the remarkable appearance of a cone-shaped mound onThe eastern side of Oronsay. We shortly afterwards discovered that Pennant when he Western Isles described ,t as a tumulus. We at once resolved that if an oppor- endeavour to find out by excavatmg what the mound, known to the islanders by the name ot Ca.steal-nan-Gillean.» concealed. We did our best 1^7 among the inhabitants to find out all that was relatid a out t e L LXT Duru g the (ollowing winter we made the acquaintance of Mr. William Galloway, known for his antiquarian researches and irk in connection 'J^^Z ^' '.. the Gaelic, literally L c.tle ^i:o:^J^;;ailf^t^::^:"'""- ""'• "'^ '^ ^'"^ m 48 THE GREAT AUK, OR GAREFOWL. itfiVi I > ■I ancient ruins and sculptured stones of Scotland, and discovered that ho had some years previously visited Oronsay when taking casts and drawings of many of the carved stones and crosses at the ruined priory. It was soon arranged that we should revisit the island, and at the beginning of June 1881 Mr. Galloway started, and was followed about the middle of that month bj' the writer. On going on board the steamer Dunnra Castle at Greenock, we met Mr. Malcolm M'Neill, brother of Major-General Sir Jolm Carstairs M'Neill, V.C., the proprietor of the islands, and had a conversation with him regarding Caisteal-nan-Gillean, and found that, acting for his brother in his absence, ho was willing to give permission to open the mound. We visited it soon after iirriving on Colonsay, accompanied by Mr, Alexander Galletly, curator of the Museum of Science and Art, Edinburgh, and were joined at the mound by Mr. Galloway, who was living at Oronsay. Satisfied from our inspection that the mound was worth examining more carefully, we made some preliminary preparations and reported to Mr. INIalcolm M'Neill, wlio then gave us his final sanction to begin excavating. We hired a workman, and on Wednesday the 22d June walked from Scalasaig on Colonsay to the mound on Oronsay, a distance of fully five miles. When wo arrived at our destination with our shovels, we found Mr. Galloway waiting, as he was interested in our proposed work. Wo began by making a survey of the whole mound, which led us to decide to commence operations on the eastern side, at a point whore the wind had blown away part of the sand that appeared to form the greater part of the hillock, and cut an opening about four feet wide right through to under the apex. We commenced digging, and at first little was found to reward our efforts, but as vie gradually worked inwanls we came upon a thin layer of shells on the upper sur- face below the turf that covered the mound ; and as this gradually got thicker and wo found intermixed with the shells a few bones, it raised our hopes, and it was then agreed that Mr. Galloway should join in the operations. It was determined that while the workman and myself carried on the excavation, Mr. Galloway was to measure and lay off a section of the mound with the ground to the south-east, where there is a sandpit, from which we supposed the sand which formed all but the outer crust of this remarkable hillock had been taken. Our cutting was commenced at the base of the mound, and as wo dug ' towards the centre of it we slowly formed a deep trench. We found the work rather dangerous, as large quantities of sand were constantly falling, and the walls of the trench rose considerably above the level of our heads on either side. y EXCAVATIONS AT ORONSAY. 49 At last we found it impossible to work straight in upon the same level on which wo started, imd had gradually to work up an inclined plane, so as to keep the bottom of our trench about ten feet from the surface of the mound as wo steadily excavated towards its middle. We found the work rather heavy, and to add to our difficulties the man we had engaged, though a stout Highlander, declined to come back after one day's trial. However, the following morning wo succeeded in engaging another workman, with whom we had done some of the excavating at the Crystal Spring Cavern, and we found things go on much more satisfactorily as his previous experience in looking for remains was of some value.'' While we were engaged digging, Mr. Galloway was busy measuring and marking olf the ground. He ascertained that the hillock was 150 feet in diameter, and nearly circular in form ; the height being about 30 feet on the eastern side, which gives the greatest elevation, and about 21.^ feet on the western side, as the ground rises considerably in that direction, the mound having been formed on links that slope towards the sea. View of Cuistciil-iiiinGillean. At the end of three days we had made a cutting or trench about 70 feet in length, and were close to the apex, with the result that we had discovered * '• riooeeiliiuss (if the Society of Aiitiiiui\riea of Scotliuiii," vol. ii. new seiiea, p. 318. 5° THE GREAT AUK, OR GAREFOWL. abundance of shells, n few bones, and some rough stone-implements ; and with these wo started for Edinburgh. After carefully examining all the material we had collected, we picked out those Iwnos that were least fragmentary, and having divided them into two lots, we placed the first of these in the hands of our friend Mr. Alexander Galletly, Curator of the Museum of Science and Art, who was kind enough to enlist the aid of Dr. R. H. Traquair, F.ll.S., Curator of the Natural History Department of the same Museum, in their identification. In the mean- time wo obtained the pi'omise of help from ilr. John Gibson, assistant to Dr. 'JVaquair, with the s d lot, which, as it afterwards turned out, contained the remains about which we now write. On receiving the remains Mr. Gibson at once began their identification, and in the course of the work showed the bones to Dr. Traquair, who was also interested. It would appear that both these gentlemen had been impressed with the remarkable form of one of the bird humeri, but made no observation to each other. This was on a Saturday. On the Monday morning following they met in the ^luseum, and proceeded in the direction of the case in which were pre- served some remains of the Great Auk that were obtained at Funk Island by Professor J. Milne. In conversation they discovered that they had both got the impression that this humerus belonged to a Great Auk, and that without any previous comparison of opinions they were both proceeding to have a look at the remains in the Museum, so that they might, if possible, verify their surmise. Fortunately they found that they were correct in the opinion they had simulta- neously formed, and tlie identification of the one bone led to the discovery that several of the other bones also belonged to the Great Auk. This discovery gave so much encouragement that it led us to make arrange- ments to return to Oronsay in August of the same year, and continue the exca- vations. Mr. Galloway started about the middle of the month, and remained working for six or seven weeks, aided by two boys, whom he succeeded in engag- ing. We were fortunate in being able to spend about a week in his company, and though every efibrt was made to secure the services of one or more men, we were unsuccessful, as the harvest fully occupied those who remained at home, and many of the islanders were at the fishing. During this visit we were employed removing the upper part of the mound, where the greatest deposits existed ; as our experience showed us that if it had been raised over anything, or was the superstructure covering a place of inter- ment, wo could only ascertain this by digging down to the living rock, which is >■ i ' EXCAVATIOXS AT ORONSAY. 5' about three feet below the original level of the sand at tl.o outer edge of the mound, and possibly is the sun.e under the apex. As the sund falling would make this work very dangerous, if not impossible, wo resolved first to remove about twelve feet off the upper part of the hillock, and then dig downwards, as circum- stances permitted. By the end of September fully one-third of the apex liad been du^r off, and every spadeful most carefully examined, so that not even minute objects^could bo passed. The same care was taken during the whole time the excavations were i.i progrens, and though the work went on much more rapidly during our first visit, it was entirely owing to our having mostly pure sand to deal with, which contained not a vestige of remains, and seemed as if just deposited from the sandpit. To give some idea of the nature of the deposits as revealed by the sections examined during the digging, wo may state that the outside of the cone is covered with turf and blown sand to a depth varying from one to five feet, the greatest depth being at the north side of tlie apex,» and gradually thinning off" all round to the outer edge ; below that is a series of strata, composed principally of shells, which taper off from the apex similarly to the upper deposits, and underneath is pure sand. Where we began our excavations wo found almost solid sand ; then after a few feet we came upon a thin layer of shells near the surface, which was at first only about an inch thick. As we worked inwards this line was found gradually getting thicker, until near the summit it was composed of numerous layers, which were pretty clearly defined, though here and there they ran into each other, and altogether were about 8 feet from top to bottom. The greater part of the shells were those of the Limpet 'Patella vulgata, L.), others were, however, intermixed, of which we give a list amongst the remains (see p. 55). Besides these there were a few bones, bone implements, and oblon.' water- worn stones of a slaty character, some of which we suppose have been used as limpet hammers, while others have one end rubbed so as to form an edge, and are similar in appearance to implements of a like kind we have seen from the Swiss lake-dwellings, and also from a number of places in our own country. There are also a few oval and nearly round stones that have marks that lead one to sup- pose they have been used for rubbing; and others seem to have been implements used for striking the head of a chisel or other similar tool, as there are well-defined J The strong winds fru.u the south and south-west that blow over the Uland have caused the accumulu- tion on the north side of tlie mound. 5-' THE GREAT AUK, OR GAREFOWL. rrraf indentures tliat iiulicatn the point of contact. Wo also got some stono-hcntors that iiave been cracked by tlie action of firo, and in addition a few pieces of Hint of small size. Of bone implemonta we got several, but all in a fragmentary state. They con- sisted of a numl)er of barbed harpoon or spear -heads, one bone awl in a perfect state, and the point of another ; also a number of bones rubbed at one end, some on both sides, so as to form an edge, and others only on one side ; but most likely they were used for different purposes, as those rubbed flat only on one side are larger, and made of selected pieces of the Iwnes of rod-deer, while some of those with the rubbing on both aides, so as to form an edge, are made of the same material, but portioTis of smaller bones have been used. In digging we discovered some large flat stones which had evidently been used as hearths, for they had charcoal and burnt material around them, but not in aufHcient quantity to give the impression tliat they had been used for any great length of time, and it was generally in the immediate neighbourhood of those ancient fire-places that we got the implements. The char- coal is very soft, and has the appearance of having resulted from the burning of a sofl wood. In the bed of Loch Fada on Colonsay are stumps of immense trees that may at one time have furnished the inhabitants with fuel. As we were anxious to find out whether the charcoal and the wood from these tree-stumps agreed in structure, we placed specimens of each in the hands of Dr. J. i[. Macfarlane, assistant to the I'rofessor of Botany in the University of Edin- burgh. He informs us that though the charcoal is in such a state that it is beyond identification, ho has been able with some certainty to identify the wood as having belonged to the goat-willow (Salix caprca, L.) ; he also thinks that the char- coal is the result of this wood being burnt, as they have some characteristics in which they correspond. It is probable Dr. Macfarlane is correct, as the willow was nmch used in the Hebrides for making bridles, ropes, and tackle of every variety. The remains in the lowest deposits near the summit differed in some respects from those found nearer the surface. All are of a very rough description, indicating that this mound was used by a primitive and probably ancient people. In fact, the (juestion naturally arose. What could there be underneath that would account for the sand-hill ? Later excavations, carried on during the month of ^farch 1882, by Mr. Gal- loway, have shown that the sand below the strata in which wo had found the remains is not one vast homogeneous mass that has been accumulated at one time, but is all blown or drift-sand, laid in regular layers, the upper pai't of each defined by a thin line of dark mould, with a few sea and land shells intermixed, but no (1 ? 19 i '1 m I ORONSAY REMAINS. in.plen,o„ts or other remains have yet been n.et with i.7^o lower ^^o^^^^T^ ^ clua^on hat u I see.ns to point to is. that the lower part of the Caisteal-Nan O.lleau han bee.i fonned by natural and not hunmn agency The fbllowing i, a list of the renmin« in o„r possession that have been .ready .dent, ed We are indebted to Dr. Tra,uair for identifying the rema n of the hsl, and also those of the seal and pig; while to Mr. John Gibson wlow the determnung of the others, nd the description of the bones of the Garefowl :_ Iicmni7i3. Bones of the Great Auk or Garefowl (Alca impnmis, L.) obtained from Ca.steal-nan.Gillean, Oronsay, June and September 1881. I. Jii!,ht hanurus measuring -t inches in length and 1 inch in breadth at m long diameter and 3 lines in short diameter. According to Professor Owen (" Trans, of Zool. Society," vol v p '6'V) there ,s a tluck ridge or raised rough surface near the radial end of the ..ic.d ^ head of he humerus, extending about 8 lines down the bone, which gives inserti ;S.:r:?;:tg."™ ^^^ '''''''-'' ^ ^^^ — ^ Pectorarmusde-th; In the present specimen the bone of this ridge exhibits a diseased condition hresZad. ''"^™ ^'"' ^'""^'^' '"° '^ ''-'' ^™"^'^ ' ^"- "^ ^^-^^^^ and ; II. rmrimal half „f right humerus. Total length of snecin.en ol ;„ .,,„ Uroken about the middle of the shaft, which exhibit ^:Z;::i^'!^ cav.ty n.easures 21 hues in long diameter by 1 line in short diameter he sha measuring similarly 6 lines by 2^ li„es. a>amete:, the sbatt III. mst.d half of Ift humerus. Specimen, measuring 2 inches 2 lines s unvs n,edullary cavity. I„ this specimen the condyle and^the three anc ne ai ridges are very perfect. ""Luueuj IV. Distal end of left humerus, 3 inches in length. V. Left eoracoid bone, with a total length of 2 inches -1 lines. At the .1 ! ^'i 54 THE GREAT AUK, OR GAREFOWL. bably bad a breadth of at least 1 inch. The thin lamelliform prLess given off above the sternal articulation is also gone, otherwise the coracoid is entire From the sternal end it gradually contracts to 5 lines, then widens out, giving off a strong compressed process, which is perforated. VI. Upper end of right coracoid. little below the perforated process. Specimen li inches in length, ending a VII, Distal end of right tibia. very minute medullary cavity. VIII. Dorsal vertebra;. Specimen 1 inch in length. Shaft showing -, Other Hemains. IMammaua. EMcviCervus claphus, L.); many of the fragments have been rubbed, and all the bones liave been broken. ^Afarten (Martes foina, L.) Otter {Lutra vulgaris, Erxcl.) Sheep (Oois aries L); we I,uve only one portion of a bon. that we are certain belongs to his animal, and it was found near the upper surface of the deposit under the turf, It is in better preservatioL than the ot remaniP, whicli may indicate that it is more recent. Rat (Mils decumauus, Pall, or rattus, L.) ^^"''?e tecTn't' '"'"'■""'"''' ^'^' ^"""'^ "' "''^ ''"™'''- ^^^ '"'^""''"^ "PP^*"- '^ Common seal {Phoca vitvlina, L.) Wild boar or pig (Sus scro/a.) Birds. Guillemot {Urin froih, L., or Gnjlle, L.) Razorbill (Alca torda, L.) Fisn. AVrasse (Labrus maculatm, BI.) Grey mullet {MtujU erpfentrionalis, Guntli.) Picked dog-fish {Acnnthias vuhjaris, Risso). Skate [Rdja hatis, L.) CnUSTACEANS. Crab [Platgcarcinus pagurm, Edw.) **. ^;- \ ORONSAY REMAINS. 55 Shells. Limpet {Patella vulgata, L.) Scnllop (Pedm open-ulurin, L.) Oyster (Ostrea ednlis, L.) Horse whelk (/liircinutu umhitum, L.) Periwinkle (LiUorina Nttorea, L.) {Cyprina islandica, L.) (Lwvicardi'um nm-vegicum, Spengl.) Cockle {Axinma ghjetjmeris, L.) (Cardlum edule, L.) {Ta2)es pullastm, Mont.) {Tapes virginem, L) (Venus casina, L) (Ensis siliqua, Linn.) {Trivia eurojxxa.) Besides the above remains which came into our hands, Mr. Galloway exhi- bited the following at the International Fisheries Exhibition, held in London during the summer and autumn of 1883 : JIamjialia. ^^"'llmt'a,I,ai° ^^"^ '"'°'^"^' *'™ *"'"'' ''^"'^' ^''''"' ^''°'^"^'^ ^''""S^^^ *" Otter (Z«/m i,„/^am, Erxl.) four fractured jaws and seventeen other bones brey seal {Phoca yryplms), four bones. Conuuon seal {Phoea vituliua, L.), Line bones; also three teeth, one of which may belong to the grey seal. Eed-deer {Cewns eJaphvs, L.), five or six fragments of bones ; each bone has been hacked all round and broken across. Cetaceans. There are three cetacean bones that have probably belonged to the rorqual or Jjnwhale. They are : One large fragment of a rib, one part of v/rtebral epiphysis, and one fragment of a rib made into a pointed spear or lance- BlKDS. Great Auk (Alca imi^mis, L). The proximal halves of three right humeri. The proxnnal half of one left humerus. One perfect coracoid bo^.e, and one fragment o another coracoid bone. Two fragments of tibias, a proximal an.l a d..s al end ; one imperfect bone, said also to bo from this bird \\ Ud swan ; there were several bones said to have belonged to this bird. In addition to the foregoing there was exhibited a collection of fish ver- tebm>, some crabs' claws, and a number of shells, representing some of the varieties already given in our li.st. A number of implements were also shown: they were-eleven barbed bone ii i» S6 THE GREAT AUK, OR GAREFOWL. I m 1 1 1 •''I ! i 1. .: I spear-liends ; a large number of rubbed stones and bones ; also a collection of limpet-hammers, a few flint chips, some large flat stones, supposed to be lap- stones, as they are said to bear indentations, made, it is thought, by bones being split on them. It appears to us that the three largest are the most interesting. Two of these stones are oblong and one circular, the latter being artificially chipped into its present form. With regard to the whole of these remains, wo may observe that the bones of the red-deer, though found all through the strata, even in the highest, were most plentiful in the lower deposits, and seemed to become much less common in the upper layers. This probably indicates that the animal was becoming gradually less abundant during the period that Caistcal-nan-Gillean was inhabited. We may also remark that, as in our excavations at the Crystal-Spring Cavern, Colonsay, we only found the bones of the red-deer in the lowest deposits of the cave-floor. It appears, therefore, that there is good reason to suppose that the time at which the upper deposits at the mound and the earliest deposits of the cave were formed, is about the same. Jloreover, as the deer-remains in the cave are not found very frequent, it is quite possible it was only occupied after the mound had ceased to be a place of human residence. If our conclusions upon this point bo correct, the mound must have been occupied at a very early period in the history of the isles, as we find in the upper deposits of the cave-floor, and above the strata in which we have found the deer bones, other remains which point to these deposits having been formed during the Danish and Norwegian occupation of Colonsay and Oronsay. Another evidence of the antiquity of the mound is in the absence of ox- remains, whicli are met with under stalagmite, in the upper deposits of the cave. The remains described as those of the pig may possibly belong, not to the domestic hog, but to the wild boar. As Sir John Lubbock remarks," " Professor Stcenstrup does not believe that the domestic hog is represented by its remains in the Danish shell-mounds." Besides, one of the rib bones in our possession bears evidence of Imviiig been broken and afterwards having united, and such an injurj', it seems to us, would most likely be received in the chase. One remarkable feature of the deposits at Caisteal-nan-Gillean is the immense number of limpet-shells, very many with small holes in them, caused, we believe, by the stroke of the rough stones used as hammers to knock them off the rocks. « "Niitunil History Keview." 18C1. p. 497. !ii m LIMPET HAMMERS. 57 Almost all the stone-imploments are just suitably shaped stones taken from the beach ; but nearly all those found in the neighbourhood of the hearths bear marks of having been rubbed at the one end, and, with two exceptions, are all small, varying from two to three inches in length, while many of the stones we call limpet-hammers are quite a foot in length, and with the exception of being some- times fractured at the ends, bear no evidence of having been used. Nearly all these were found lying among the thinner deposits of shells away from the centre of the mound, as if they had been thrown there to be out of the way from the hearths. Our reason for calling them limpet-hammers is as follows : — We had been making inquiries among the islanders for those implements, but without success, as we understood they were carefully fashioned or selected stones that were handed down by the fishermen from father to son, and we found that most of the men used the blade of an old reaping-hook to knock the limpets off the rocks. However, we also discovered that failing an instrument of that kind, they then took an oblong-.«liaped stone from the beach. The second day of our excavations at Caisteal-nan-Gilloau we were puzzling ourselves as to what could be the use of the numerous oblong stones we met with among the shells, and mentioned the matter to our workman, who was accustomed to go to the fishing, and he, just as a matter of course, informed us they were limpet-hammers. Ho assured us that he and his fisher-mates often took such stones from the beach when proceeding on a trip, and would retain the stone for collecting bait until the end of their fishing, when they would throw it away. Subsequent inquiries have only helped to con- firm us in the opinion that the large oblong stones found at Caistcal-nan-Gillean are really limpet-hammers. We understand that similar stones i ave been found in the ancient kitchen-middens of other localities, and have proved a puzzle to antiquarians ; but we think what we have stated will be found to be the real solution of the mystery. The bones of the Garefowls were found intermixed with other remains in this kitchen-midden of the ancient inhabitants, and this leads us to the conviction that the birds had been used as food. It is exceedingly probable that the Garefowls bred upon the rocky islets that lie near the shores of Oronsay, if not upon that island itself, and would prove an easy prey to its inhabitants. Though the bones of this bird as yet found here are few in number, it does not necessarily follow that the Garefowl was not very plentiful at this station, as not one bone in a H Mi, (I "1i ■* ' I ! ! I 1:^ M f S8 ^^^ GREAT AUK, OR GAREFOWL. f! ' ( 59 ) CHAPTER VIII. HOW WAS CAISTEAL-NAN-GILLEAN FORMED, AND TO WHAT PERIOD DOES IT BELONG ? rpHE excavations at Caisteal-nan-Gillean have revealed that it is a place on J- which some of the ancient fishei-folk of Oronsay dwelt, and they probably chose It as a place of residence because possessing two great advantages-namely a dry soil, and an extensive prospect seaward. The former of these was a most important consideration, as the inhabitants evidently did not live in stone build- ings and If they had any liouses to cover them, these were most likely made of wattles. The extensive view of the sea was imperative for a fisher population, and If It enabled those at home to see the returning boats in the far distance, and provide in good time the morning or evening meal, it also afforded a vantage- ground from which the approaching enemy might be seen in time of tribal strifes and petty wars. From it also might be observed the signs upon the surface of the sea that betokened the shoal offish, or a view could be obtained of the sea- birds resting on the rocky shores of Eilean-Ghurdimeal and Eilean-nan-Eon, or l-oating on the troubled waters of the wild Atlantic; in short, from Caisteal- na.n-Gillean us inhabitants could watch for friend or foe, for food or storm It has been said that Caisteal-nan-Gillean is part of an ancient raised sea- beacli and the deposits upon it are supposed to have been formed when it was near the sea level. As appearing to confirm this supposition, it has been advanced that in adjoining sand-hills and sand-wreaths, where recent storms have not changed the old contour of the sand dunes, layers of sea-shells have been found which correspond with layers found at similar elevations upon them all, and it has thus been concluded that these layers could only have been so deposited either by the sea or by human agency. From such conclusions wo beg respectfullv to diRor, and as the settlement of those questions have an important bearing on' the period of time to wliicli we must refer the formation of the deposits at Caisteal- nan-Gillean, we shall brielly state our views and the reasons which have led us to adopt them. I in ■ '•1 ii' I 60 THE GREAT AUK, OR GAREFOWL. During the excavations we had occasion to dig down to the schistose rock underneath the sand at the base of the mound, and we found it, not rubbed to a smooth surface as it would have been if exposed to the wash of the sea, but with a rough surface, bearing evidence of having been exposed as dry land to the in- fluence of the weather for a considerable period before it was covered with blown sand. As we discovered no pieces of stone that had been broken from the rock strata by the effects of weather, and not the slightest trace of the decomposition of such fragments beneath or among the sand, we think this is evidence that the rock had been exposed as dry land to the action of the weather for some time before it was covered up. If this is so, it follows that Caisteal-nau-Gillean and the adjoining sandhills are composed entirely of blown sand, and even if there were nothing else to judge from, their contour might almost lead to this conclusion. Any sea-shells that are to be found have doubtless been blown into their present position by the wind, which comes with tremendous force off the Atlantic during the frequent gales that occur in these Western Isles. If any of our readers have stood on the sandy shores or links of one of the Hebrides in time of storm, and seen the blinding drift of sand and shells blown along by the gale, they may have observed, that as the storm gradually abates the wind is unable to carry along with it the heavier objects, and that the sand is blown away from the shells, which are displayed in a layer upon the surface of the beach ; or if they have visited the shores of Holland, where sand-dunes fringe the coast, and keep back the encroach- ment of the sea, they may have seen the same operation performed by the wind under similar circumstances. If such has been their good fortune, we think they will have no difficulty in accounting for the scattered shells on the upper surface of the layers of sand under the human deposits on Caisteal-nan-Gillean, and also for those on the sandhills and sand-wreaths adjoining. We admit that at one time the part of Oronsay where Caisteal-nan-Gillean stands was under the sea, and it was during the process of elevation of the land, probably a gradual operation, that all the rocks must have been exposed to the wash of the waves. As the land rose, the rocky shores which gradually rise inland from the present high-water mark were eroded by the effects of the weather, as evidenced by the rock at the base of the mound. We therefore think our readers will agree with us that there seems good proof that it was at a time long after this rock had ceased to be washed by the waves that it was covered with blown sand, which was formed at this part of the island into sandhills and wreaths with the eddying winds. 1^ .IT 'pi Itr ill *^r: WHEN CAISTEAL-NAN-GILLEAN WAS FORMED. 6i If our supposition is correct, it will be seen that it is not necessary to rele- gate the objects found on Caisteal-nan-Gillean to a period much earlier than the Christian era, as would be requisite if we suppose the remains to have been de- posited when the part of Oronsay on which Caisteal-nan-Gillean is situated was at or near the sea level, and formed part of the sea shore. Moreover, the opinion we have stated as to the probable period of the formation of the mound seems to be borne out by the dim light of early Scottish history. During part of the past^summer (1884), Mr. W. Galloway has been excavat- ing at a second shell-mound on the island of Oronsay, and among other remains has discovered a coracoid bone of Aim impcnnis. From the situation in which this bono has been found, wo conclude that the bird to which it belonged was used as food. We think it is also additional evidence that at one time the Garefowl was common in the neighbourhood of Oronsay, and probably bred upon the nume- rous rocky islets near its shores. A { r i ■ I ( 6. ) CHAPTER IX. w ■i ' ENGLISH REMAINS OF THE GREAT AUK. rilHE discovery of traces of tlie Great Auk in a cave near Whitburn Lizards, T m county Durham, during the spring of 1878, is very interesting, as until that time no remains of this bird, so far as known, had been found in England. There can be little doubt that at cue time the Great Auk was in the habit of visiting the shores of oven the most southern parts of Britain, but it is long since these visits became of very rare occurrence. The last notice that we know of the Great Auk having been met with in the north-east of England, is the mention that a specimen had been captured on the Earn Islands about a century ago.* It appears that the workmen employed by the Whitburn Coal Company had been quarrying limestone on the eastern escarpment of the Cleadon Hills, named on the Ordnance Survey Map " Whitburn Lizards," when underneath a quantity of debris which had at one time fallen from the face of the cliff, they discovered a cave which at some remote period had evidently been formed by the sea when the land was at a lower level, as it was situated on the north-east escarp of the hill, about fifteen fet-t from its sunmiit, and 1 10 feet above the present sea-level. Mr. Howse, who was one of those who examined it, lias written a preliminary descrii3tion of the cave and its contents.'"' He states that he believes this cave, along with other two adjoining it that have since been discovered, wero raised to their present elevation long before being occupied by the creatures whose remains have been found in them, and that probably the deposits on the cave- floors are not of extreme anti(juity, as in none of them were discovered traces of the hyiona and cave-bear, met with in such abundance in some ether English caves. The cave ran nearly due west into the hill, bil'urcating near its inner end. The entrance was about four feet liigh before the strata of the cave-floor was disturbed. 1 " Catalogue uf tlie liirds of Noitliumbcibncl ami Duiliaui,' by Mr. Joliu Iluucuck. " Tiausactious, Tyiiesiile Naturalists' CIuli," vol. vi. ]>. lliS. " " Natural History Tiauaactiuus of KoitliumljurlauJ, Durliaui, aud Kewcastle-uu-TyDe," vol. vii. part ii., 1880, pp. aOl-304. .1:,: J T^^=^ REMAINS IN CAVE AT WHITBURN LIZARDS. 63 Tho deposits consisted of a layer of cave earth, with an irregular surface that was grooved with tho drainage of water, and was of reddish colour, rather fatty to appearance, but friable when dried. It averaged about two feet in thickness, was intermixed with tho various remains, and rested on the soft, nearly yellow lime- stone that formed tho bottom of the cave. It seems rather strange that no rounded water-worn stones were found, as these are generally present on the bottom of sea-caves ; and it is by tho grinding power of these implements, when set in motion by the waves, that caves are usually formed along the lines of veins of softer rock (frequently limestone) that run through cliffs ; but in the case under notice they are conspicuous by their absence. Until this discovery the scientists acquainted with the locality had no idea of the existence of any caves in the neighbourhood, and it must have caused considerable surprise to the officials of the Museum of tho Natural History Society, Nowcastle-on-Tyne, when, in tho spring of 1878, they received the first box containing tho remains, which were kindly sent them by Mr. John Daglish, Tynemouth, who at the same time gave liberty for some members of the Society to excavate in the cave. It was fortunate that such a competent autliority as Mr. John Hancock undertook the examination of the remains, as his labours have resulted in the identification of bones that have belonged to a considerable number of mammalia and birds, along with the shells of several of the mollusca. Among the former of these it is worthy of notice that there are several domestic animals, but their remains are associated with those of some animals that have long been extinct in the North of England. It would be interesting to know if tho first excavations, and those that were afterwards undertaken, were conducted with the scientific accuracy necessary to preserve the sequence of the various layers of cave earth, the age of which would of course bo in proportion to their depth. We would therefore expect tha*- the remains of the domestic animals might probably bo mostly found among the upper layers of cave earth, or possibly upon its surface ; while the remains of the wild animals now extinct in the locality would be most plentiful in the lower strata, and gradually decrease in quantity towards tho upper layers, and possibly be entirely absent from the surface. However, as the paper that has been written by Mr. Howse is only a preliminary communication, there can be little doubt that when he gives a full account of tho explorations ho will refer to the subject. Tho following ia a list of the species whose bones or shells have been identified : — , r !i ■ i'l Mi ;'!.• ^^ ^ffE GREAT AUK, OR GAREFOWL. Mammalia. Ho«o, cow. «heop .log, pig „rwiM boar, rcd-deor. roe-dcer, badger, fox yellow l.ro«8te,l martin, weasel, hedgehog, mole, water-vole. ' ^ Linus. Kestrel or merlin, gannot, groat auk, razorbill. MOLLUSCA. Oyster, periwinkle, limpet, and several species Of snaila " - bone o7ttGtT^^"^'f 'r ''° ""' ^^•"'^''^ '^"•^ ^"*--^'"g - ^^^ -gle of this part of Britain in early times. It is fortunate that the bone, which is an upperinandible isso characteristic that it cannot be mistaken for'tl! of an" other bird . and wo are greatly obliged to Mr. John Hancock for kindly furnish .ng us with the drawing from which the accompanying woodcut has bee'pr^ e . It is almost a wonder that amid such a quantity of remains this bone was 80 easily identified, and it is also evidence of how thorough is the disannn of bones except under peculiar conditions, as, with .u^exre^ti TZ: beak, no trace of the Great Auk to which it belonged has been discovered. I ^ ( 6s ) CHAPTER X. THE HABITS OF THE GAREFOWL, AND THE REGION IT LIVED IN. rilHE habits of the Garefowl appear to have led it to frequent those isolated situa- -■- tions where, under ordinary circumstances, it would be free from molestation by men, as the bird's want of the power of flight rando it so helpless when on land. It is unfortunate that, owing perhaps to this instinctive retirement from places of human existence, we know really so little regarding it. One of the best descrip- tions we have is that by Jfartin, who, writing of St. Kilda,' says : " The sea-fowl are first the Gnirfowl, bein- the stateliest, ns well as the largest sort, and above the size of a solan goose ; of a black colour, red about the eyes, a large white spot under each, a long broad bill. It stands stately, its whole body erected ; its wings short, flies not at all ; lays its eggs upon the bare rock, which if taken away, she lays no more for that year. She is wliole footed [web-footed], and has the hatch- ing-spot upon her breast, i.e. a bare spot from which the feathers have fallen off" with the heat in liatching,— its egg is twice as big as that of a solan goose, and is variously spotted, black, green, and dark. It comes without regard to any wind, appears the first of May, and goes away about the middle of June." ^ A later writer, who visited St. Kilda in June 1758, says: "The bird visits the island in July ; " but this is evidently a mistake, and he acknowledges he had not seen it himself.' Dr. John Alexander Smith refers to this, and seems to be of the opinion that in 1758 the Garefowl was breeding on some isolated skerry among the Hebrides, and was only seen at St. Kilda after the period of incubation was over. But we think this seems hardly probable, as when we have any mention of the Garefowl being seen at St. Kilda, it is always at its breeding-time. What came over the bird at other periods of the year is likely to remain a mystery ; but though there was a generally accepted idea among the sailors and fishermen of 1 ''A Voyage to St. Kil.ln, May 29, lfi!)7," by M. Martin, gent. I'nblislieil, Undon, 1753, p. 27 History of St. Kilda," by the Ilov. Mr. Kenneth Macaulay, minister of Ardnamiirchan, missionarv to the island from tlie Society for Propagating Christian Knowledge. London 1764, p. 15C. ' "Proceedings of the Scottish Society of Antiquaries," vol. i. N.S., p. 90, 1878-79. I f I r I 66 THE GREAT AUK, OR GAREFOWL. I Newfoundland * that it did not leave soundings, it seems evident that it must have occasionally mode long sea journeys. The stray birds that appeared from time to time at various parts of our coasts in this century, indicate that, as it did not breed during this period at any nearer point than Iceland, it must at least have found its way across the sea from there. If this was the case when the bird had become so rare, we may infer that it migrated in much larger numbers in early times when it existed in such strong colonics. It is said " that they swam with their heads much lifted up, but their necks drawn in ; they never tried to flap along the water, but dived as soon as alarmed. On the rocks thoy sat more upright than either the guillemots or razorbills, and their station was further removed from the sea. They were easily frightened by noise, but not by what they saw. They sometimes uttered a few low croaks. They have never been known to defend their eggs, but would bite fiercely if they had the chance when caught. They walk or run with little short steps, and go straight like a man. One has been known to drop down some two fathoms off the rock into the water. Finally, I may add that the colour of the inside of their mouths is said to have been yellow, as in the allied species."' Eggert Olafsson, writing in 1772,* says: "The eggs lie together on the bird's dung; they build no nest. Several Oarefowls have this nest and eggs in common." Professor Stcenstrup, writing 13th April 1885, informs us that " Mr. E. Olafsson never saw the Garefowl living, or at its nesting place." He adds, " Olafsson's statements regarding the habits of the birds that breed upon the rocks is in accordance with the relations of other authors. In narrating the capture of the last pair of Garefowls at Eldoy in 1811, the writer remarks:' "As the men clambered up they saw two Garefowls sitting among numberless other rock-birds (Uria troile and Alca tordu), and at once gave chase. The Garefowls showed not tlie slightest disposition to repel the invaders, but immediately ran along under the high clitf, their heads erect, their little wings somewhat extended. They uttered no cry of alarm, and moved, with their short steps, about as quickly as a man could walk. Jon (Brandsson), with outstretched arms, drove one into a corner, where * A writer in the " English Pilot " for 1794, quoted by .Sir Kiohard Bminycastle (" Newfouiidland in 1842," viil. i. p. 232) states — "Tliere is also nnotlier thing to be taken notice uf in treating of this coast, that you may know this [liank] by the great quantities of fowls upon tlie Imnk, namely, shearwaters, willucks, noddies, gulls, penguins (i.;. Great Auks), &c., without any exceptions, which is a mistake, for 1 have seen all these fowls a hundred leagues off this bank, the penguins (i.e. Circat Auks) excepted." ' Mr. (now Professor) A. Newton on Mr. J. Wolley's " Hesearches iu Iceland respecting the Garefowl," Ibis, vol. iii., 181)1, p. 393. « E. Olafsson og li. I'alsson Reise igj. Island. Soriie, 1772, f. 89G, 831. ' Professor A. Newton on "Kesearchesiu Iceland." /(/i>, vol iii., ISCl, p. 391. See also p. 21 of this work. II HABITS OF THE GREAT AUK. f>7 he soon hod it fast, SigurSr (Islofsson) and Ketil pursued the second, and the former seized it close to the edge of the rock, here risen to a precipice some fathoms high, the water being directly below it. Ketil (Ketilson) then returned to the sloping shelf whence the birds had started, and saw an egg lying on the lava slab, which he knew to be a Garefowl's. Ho took it up, but finding it was broken, put it down again. Whether there was not another egg is uncertain. All this took place in much less timo than it takes to tell it." The Garofowl appears to have been either excessively stupid or insatiable in its appetite. One was caught about 1812 near Papa Westray, Orkney, on the open sea by some fishermen, who enticed it to the side of the boat by holding out a few fish,* and then striking it with an oar, either stunned or killed it outright," which, does not appear to be certain, but the result was that tho bird was captured. Another instance of the same kind occurred with the specimen caught alive at the entrance to Waterford Harbour in May 183 1.'" There are also several notices of its having been caught with baited lines by vessels crossing the banks of Newfoundland." Tho Danish naturalist, Olaus Wormius, gives a figure of this bird. He appears to have drawn it from a living specimen he had obtained from tho Fiiroe Islands, and which lived under his care for several months. The peculiarity of tho figure is, that it shows the Garefowl with a white ring round its neck,'^ which most probably indicates the bird was in its spring plumage, and was just throwing off the white feathers that appeared on its throat and neck during winter." (Fig. p. G8, also Note, p. 74.) In Pennant's "British Zoology," vol. ii., London, 1812, p. 14G, is given a figure of tho bird swimming, I'ennant says : " It lays one egg, which is six inches long, of a white colour ; some are irregularly marked with puiplish lines crossing each other, others blotched with black, and ferruginous about the thicker end. If the egg is taken away it will not lay another that season. ... It lays its egg close to tho sea-mark, being incapable, by reason of the shortness of its ' " Tmnaactions of Tjnesido Natunilists' Field Club," "ol. iv, p. IIC. ' Dr. Lathftiii, "General History of Birds," vol. x. >» Thonison'a " I'.irds of Ireland," vol. iii. p. 238. " Audubon, "Ornithological Biograpiiy," 1838, and Edward's" Natural History of Birds," part iii. London, 1750. " "Museum AVormianum sou Historiro Rerum Rariorum " (Copenhagen), Leyden, 1G55, p. 301. 13 I' Proceedings of Scottish Society of Anticiuaries," vol. i. N.S,, p. 98. See also p. 74 of this work 68 THE GREAT AUK, OR GAREFOWL. lit wings, to mount higher." . . . The length of the bird to the end of its toes is three feet, that of the bill to the corner of the mouth four inches and a quarter ; part of the upper mnndible is covered with short black velvet-like feathers ; it is Anif,- inatmUanicuHt wit Pivriniai nf Olfttis Worniiua ; from Fiirof, 165ft. (iru;it Auk (.-l/rrt ini;)tinii«, Lmt\.) Fuesimile uf uriginal tigiiru leilufcil in hIkc t'.v une-tliiid. very strong, compressed, and marked with several furrows that tally both iibove and below. Between the eyes and the bill, on each side, is a large white spot ; Mucnulay's " Kiitory of St. Kildn," p. \i*\. m DESCRIPTION OF GREAT AUK. 69 the rest of the head, the neck, back, tail, and wings are of a glossy black. The wings are so small as to bo useless for flight, the length from the tip of the longest quill-feathers to the first joint being only four inches and a quarter." It is of interest to compare the above with the description given by Dr. Fleming,'^ as he had an opportunity of observing the living bird such as has been affoiJed to no other British naturalist this century — Length, 3 feet; bill, dorsally, 3 inches ; in front of the nostrils, 2J ; in the gape, 4i ; depth. If inches ; 7 ridges in the upper and 11 in the lower mandible ; legs black ; irides chestnut ; margin of the eyelid black ; inside the mouth orange ; head, back, and neck black — the latter with a brownish tinge ; quills dusky ; secondaries tipped with white ; breast and belly wliito. In winter the brownish-black of the throat and foreneck is replaced with white. When fed in confinement it holds up its head, expressing its anxiety by shaking its head and neck and uttering a gurgling noise ; it dives and swims under water, " even with a long cord attached to its foot, with incredible swiftness." The recorded occurrences of the observation or capture of the Garefowl and the discovery of its remains appear to limit it to the region north of 48 degrees north latitude in the European area, and 42 degrees in the American ; and while in the latter its occurrences are well authenticated south of 70 degrees, in the former it is said to have been found only as far north as the borders of the Arctic Circle. By far the most northerly stations at which the Great Auk bred were those situateil on the shores of Iceland and east Greenland. (See Professor Steenstrup's Remarks, Appendix IV.) This circumstance may perhaps be accounted for by the more temperate climate prevailing in the eastern area from the efi'ects of the Gulf Stream. It is almost certain that the Garefowl has not been met with in high northern latitudes east of Norway " or Iceland, though there is an unauthenticated report that one was met with at Spitzbergon.''' There are statements made in the works of various authors on natural history which might lead \o the supposi- tion that the native home of the Garefowl was upon the ice-flows of hyperborean 1* "History of niitish Aiiimiils." Dr. FleiiiinR, 1S28. 8vo. " " VidniiskulK'lijji) Medilelclacr,' 18.V), Nr. 3 7, " Kt liiiling til fleirfusilcin,'' p. 0"). It sesms very doubtful if the binl I'lofossur .Steenstrui) lefeis to, nuil wliich wn» allot in 1S4S liy llcrr Ijiurciii llrodtkorb, of Wurdic, WI18 reuUy it (lamfowl. Hce for further information /'/!.«. vid. iii., ISOl, p. S7J. rrofcuiior Steou- strup, writing us, i:kh April 1885, siiys : " Certainly not a (iarefowl " 1" "Hritiiih Ornithology," vol. ii. p. V.i'X Jlr. Solhy, from whom this report appears to have fimt eninnatcil, and wliich bus been copied into other works, stated to rrofcssor A. Newton ii^wus a mistake. Itiis. »ol. iii., 1801, p. 376. > I'' 7° THE GREAT AUK, OR GAREFOWL. I ll regions," but these statements seem to have been made under a mistaken impres- sion as to what was the real habitat of this bird.'* Even so lately as 1868 a well-known Swiss writer on natural history gave a beautifully executed plate in colour, showing the birds sitting on snow-covered ice of great thickness above an ice-hole, while the background is filled in with mountains of ice. Tlie illustration is given in connection with a paper which is a valuable addition to the literature on the Great Auk.'° The Garefowl does not appear to have thriven when removed to situations away from the coast ; and Mohr informs us that the peasants of Iceland believed the bird was blind when on land.^" A writer, who lived two centuries ago, had several at different times, which were easily tamed, but did not live long inland. These birds were caught at the Faroe Isles."' Another specimen from the same locality was sent to the Danish naturalist, Olaus Wormius, and from what he states,'" it appears to have lived only a few months from the time he received it. In corroboration of the above, we have the instance of the Great Auk captured at the entrance to Waterford Harbour in September 1834, which, when caught, appeared to be starving, as it came to the side of the boat to get food, and for some days after its capture ate greedily of potatoes mashed in milk. Ten days after it was caught, the bird was sold to Mr. Davis, who sent it to Mr. Gough of Horetown, County Wexford. For about three weeks after the bird's arrival at its new home it was not known to eat anything ; but fearing it would succumb from want of food, Mr. Gough caused potatoes and milk to be forced down its throat, and from that time it ate voraciously until within a day or two of its death, which occurred a little over four months from the time of its capture. Wiien in Mr. Gough 's possessioa its principal food was trout and other fresh-water fish, which it preferred to fish .'rom the sea. When supplied with food which it was fond of, it often stroked its head with its foot, and also performed this opera- tion on other occasions. It swallowed the fish entire. It was rather fierce, and stood very erect. " "Temminck in tlio Manuel d'OrnitlioIogie ' (2do partie, j). 940, 1820). "Annuls of the Lyceum of Nat. Hist.," New York, vol. ii., 18'i8, p. 43'-'. " Tlie IJinls of Kuropp," vol, v. John tiould, London, 1837. Text leaf to PI. 400. Richardson's " Fauna Horealis, Americana," 1831, kc. " The /6i'<, vol. iii, p. 15, Professor J. Reinhardt, Copenhagen, on the lilrds of Greenland, " M. Victor Fatio, in " ISuIletiu do la Socioto Suisse," tome ii. 1" partie, Plate I, -" "Forsiig til en Islandak Naturliistorie," lie, ved N. Molir, C'opeidiagen, 1780, p. '.'8, -' Dehes, " Fa-Toa Keserata," p, 130, Published 1673. ^ " Museum Wormianum scu Uistorio) Uorum Kariorum °' (Coil,"i2. '"• "Orn. ItioK-i" vol. iv., 1838, p. 31G. Mr. U. Chiinipley, in a letter dated 7th February 188.">, referriiij; to the bill of the Great Auk, siws ; " As the number of furrows give strength to tlie bill in holding or severing fisli when taken, the fewer the furrows tiie weaker the bill. The furrows act as angle iron does to strengthen a vertical iron tube like the .Menai Ihidge. AVheu the bird caught a fish there would be a great strain on the bill, for the older birds would take and grasp at heavier tish," See renmrks on " tish," p. 72. I 72 THE GREAT AUK, OR GAREFOWL. I, i I ! ' ■ 1 : i I i thriving when in captivity; but if there are any otlier records in existence that would throw light on this subject, it would be of interest to have them pub- lished. We believe that the only reference to the food of the Great Auk when in a state of freedom is made by 0. Fabricius, who says — "The Great Auk fed on Cottus scorpius, or the bull-head, and Cydoptcrus lumpus, or the lump-fish, and other fishes of the same size."^" From tho bony nature of the bodies of the fishes he names, we think it most unlikely that they were among the principal foods of the Great Auk, and if any of those birds were so unfortunate as to swallow any of those fishes they might be expected to suffer internal pangs worse than those of hunger. Fabricius must have had some reason for making the statement, and it is possible that on examining the stomachs of some of those birds he may have found bones of the fishes in question. We suspect that the other fishes he refers to would be the staple food of the Great Auk, much more than the two he names. His statement would lead to the belief that the size was more important than the variety of the fish, and this appears to be a confirmation of the observations of others that the Great Auk swallowed fish whole. The same writer tells us, " that tho stomach of a young bird in grey down (we do not think this can have been a young Alca iinpcnniH) captured in August contained roseroot (Sedum rhodiola) and littoi'al vegetable matter, but no fishes." "' This is possible, as the roseroot grows on the ledges and crevices of sea-clitfs and on the boulders on rocky shores almost to within reach of tho waves at high water, and the littoral deposits, com- posed of the seaweeds and other vegetable matter washed up by the waves, would be all within reach of the young sea birds before they launched out upon the ocean on their own account.** Fabricius is the only writer wo know of who says he saw the young of the Great Auk, and who gives even tho slightest description of it. Unfortunately what he says makes it more than doubtful that the bird he describes was a young Garefowl. He states that the one he refers to was captured during August, and was covered with grey down, " pullum vidi, mense Augusto captum lanuginem griseam tantum habentem." If this young bird was captured by Fabricius during M " Fauna Oroenlnndioa," i>, 82. " " Fauna Gioenlaiidicn," p. 82. rrofessor Steenstrup, in a letter dated 16tli Muixh 18SC, says, "This young bird of Fabricius ban really nothing to do with Alrl>t'ninge, when the throat and 7ieek are more or less replaced with white." '" Professor John Fleming, D.D., writing of the specimen he obtained at St. Kilda in 1821, says : " In winter the hroionish-llack of the throat and fore-luck is replaced with while." ^'' Mr. H. E. Dresser gives the following descriptions of the Great Auk, but his statement regarding the number of fur- rows upon the mandible of the young bird in Newcastle-on-Tyno Museum, which is evidently taken from Latluim, does not appear to bo correct, if we may accept what Mr. Fox says, whom wo have just quoted : — "Adult in Summer. — Head, hind neck, throat, and entire upper parts, with the wings and tail, black ; secondary feathers tipped with white, and between " " liuUetin do la Sooi^tfi Ornithologuiuo Suisse," tomo ii. Ira partie, p. 82. Professor Steenstrup, writing us l.'Hh April 1885, remarks, "I think it is not so extraordinary, as nearly all tlie incliviiluals killod and skinned have been cau<;ht on the rocks during tlio breeding season, anil oon»e(iucntly all liave been old birds; proportionately very rarely have they been killed on tlio sea." '' "Prooeedings of tlio Society of Antitiuaries of Scotland, 1878-70, p. 98. " "Edinburgh Pliilosophical .Toumal," vol. x. p. 97. Professor J. Stconstrnp, writing us on 4th Feb- ruary 188,5, mentions that tlie white nook ring shown in the figure of the Great Auk in the " Museum Wormiauum seu Historiaj Korum Uariorum, lOS.!," and of which wo give a reduced reproduction at ji. (W, is artificial. Professor Steenstrup, 13th April 1885, draws our attention to what he states, "Kt liidrig til Oeirfuglens," " Videnskabelige Meddelelser," IS.'jS, No. 3-7, p. 84, note * * *. "An artificial ring perhaps bearing a name or inscription." He adds, " Tliere is no reason why such a ring should bo produced by the change of plumage." PLUMAGE OF YOUNG AND ADULT,BIRDS. 75 the beak and the eye there is also a large oval patch of white ; breast and under- parts generally pure white ; beak and legs black, the former very strong, and with several vertical furrows on the lower mandible ; iris deep brown. Total length, about 30 inches ; beak, 3 inches 6 lines ; wing, G inches ; tail, 2 inches ; tarsus, 2 inches 1 line. "Adult in IVinter. — Figured by Donovan from specimen formerly in the Leverian Museum, as having the chin, throat, and front of the neck white instead of black. " Young (only in the Newcastle Museum). Like the adult, but having only two or three furrows on the mandible instead of from six to ten." Professor Steenstrup informs the author that one of the stuffed skins in the Royal University Zoological Museum, Copenhagen, is that of a bird in winter plumage.''* Edmund de Solys-Longchamps, writing of the specimen preserved in the Dublin Museum, says that of all the many specimens examined by him in the different museums of Europe, this is the only one in winter plumage ; " possibly he had not seen the Copenhagen specimen. M "Birds of Europe." H. E. Dresser, vol. viii. p. 603. The youngest specimen known is that in New- Cftstle ; but there is also another young stuffed skin in Prngue, pp. 73, 77, and Appendix pp. 17, 21. In aletter, dated 7tli February 1885, Mr. U. Champley writes us as follows : " Respecting the immature Newcastle bird, when I saw it a fortnight ago I noticed one furrow at base, and one furrow at extremity of bill. My own has ciglit furrows at tlie extremity, and proves the former to be a young bird and the latter an old one." Professor A. Fiitsch of Prague has kindly sent us a figure of the young bird in the Prague Museum as it appears in his great work, " Natu'geschiolite der Vogel Europa's ; " and if the drawing is correct, it must bo considerably older than the young specimen at Newcastle, aa six furrows are shown on the upper and seven on the under mandible. 3s In letter dated 25th August 1883. Writing again on 13th April 1885, Professor Steenstrup informs us that in his opinion Benicken's description of the Garefowl in winter plumage is the beat. The bird described by }5enicken is the bird in winter plumage in the Uoyal Zoological Museum, Copenhagen. As this informa- tion regarding the importance of Benickcn'a description has reached ua as we are going to press, and his paper is not accessible at such short notice, we must content ourselves by giving the reference to his information regarding the winter plumage. Ibis, 1824, p. 887. " " Comptes roudus des Seances do la Sociote Eutomologicjue de Belgique," 1876, 7th Oct., p. 70. jW ( 76 ) 13 ^ ! ■nil ■- ;>, I i «■ ! CHAPTER XI. EXISTING REMAINS OF THE GAREFOWL. rilHE romains of the Garefowl which have been discovered seem to localise the bird within the region we have already indicated, as they have occurred in the shell-mounds of Denmark ; in two similar deposits on the island of Oronsay, one of the Southern Hebrides; in an ancient kitchen-midden at Keiss. Caithness- shire ; and also at the Whitburn Lizards, county Durham. Some bones were found in Iceland ; in the United States, at Mount Desert, and Crouches Cave in Maine, and in shel -heaps near Ipswich in Massachusetts, bones representing at least even Garefow Is were discovered ; but at Funk Island, off the coast of New- foundland by ar the largest quantity of remains was obtained. We may rel assured that all that have been found are very few in number, in comparison t what at one time existed ; and that there is any good prospect of the further dis- covery of extensive deposits of Garefowl bones may well be doubted It has been suggested by the late Dr. J. Alex. Smith' that the kitchen- B^ IT it T"' T f '''°*' °''''- '"''" "°"'^^ "'^^'y y^^^-J - rich harvest. But we doubt It exceedingly, as Martin == mentions that the natives ased the entrails and bones of the birds they killed along with other materials for mak ng up a compost to put upon the land. This being the case, the greater part would Boon disappear; and if any bones remain they must evidently be looked for at the time of ploughing the cultivated ground. ^^J^ "•"f difficult tx) give an absolutely correct list of all the known remains of the Great Auk, as year by year new discoveries are being made of skins, bones. and eggs, which, from various causes, have not hitherto been brought to light There is also another difficulty, and that is to avoid enumerating the same' remains more than once; as some remains that were mentioned as being in public and private collections not many years ago, have since changed hands and It IS sometimes difficult to discover where they have found a resting-place. ' 1 ''Proceedings of the Scottish Society of Antiquaries," 1878-70 p 10.1 Martm s Voyage to St. Kilda, 1GU7, ' p. 18. Published, Juion. 17^. ! V RECORDED SKINS OF GREAT AUK. 77 Bearing these things in mind, our readers must be indulgent and not become too severe critics, if they find mistakes in the following lists, which we have prepared from the lists of M. Victor Fatio,^ and the additions and corrections of those lists made by Professor A. Newton,* along with the information given by Professor Wh. Blasius in his recent valuable paper,*" of which we give partial translations (see Appendix, pp. 4-34), combined with what knowledge we our- selves hao been able to bring to bear upon the subject. LIST OF REMAINS OF THE GREAT AUK {Alca imfeimis, Linn.) SKINS. Country. Austria. Belgium, Itiitisli Isles. Placo and Collection. Graz. .loannetim. J. W. Clark, in litt, istli October 1868. See Appeiiilix, p. 12. Prague. I'art collection Serine ; one of these is supposed to be a young bird. I'rofessor Anton Fritsch lias been kind enough to forward to us ligures of these specimens as tliey appear in his great work, " Natnrgeschichte der Viigel Europa's." The adult is similar to other mature specimens, and has the plumage of winter or early spring ; but the skin of the young bird is remarkiiblo in that it wants the white mark on its head in front of the eye, and that, instead of the upper jiart of its neck in front being black, as in the adult, it is grey or speckled, csiiccially .at the sides of the neck where the lighter plumage of the front meiges upon the dark feathers of tlie back, which are not, however, so ilark as in the old bird. Tlie plumage of the lower part of the body is siuular to that of the adult, only a few more dark feathers appear as a patch upon the white plumage immediately below the wings. See Appendix, p. 21, Vienna. Imperia: Koyal Alusenm. See Appendix, p. 24. lirussels. Town Museum. See Appendix, p. 8. I.ongchamps. Collection of the liaron de Selys-Longchanips. See Appendix, p. 15. Boyne Court, Essex. Collection of Mrs. Lescher. See Appendix, p. 7. Brighton— Chichester House, East Cliff. Collection of the late Air. (Jeorge Ibiwson Rowley ; now in the possession of his son, Mr. 0. Fydell Rowley. See Appendix, p. 8. Cambridge. University Museum. See Appendix, p. 8. Clunguiuord House. Aston-on-Clun, Shropshire. Collection of tlie late Mr. Rocke ; now in the possession of Mm. Uoeke. See Appendix, ]>. 9. Dublin University Museum. This specimen is said to be the only one known in winter plumagi". but we think there are probably one or two other specimens with the same feather- No. Authority. Prof. A. Newton. Herr A. Fritsch. Prof. W. Blasius. Herr W. Passler. Prof. A. Newton. Jcnyus. Prof. A. Newton. Mr. U. Champley. "Bulletin do la Sociiito Ornithologique Suisse," vol. ii., part 1, pp. 80-85. /6m, vol. vi.,N. S.,p. 2.56. " Zur Geschichte dcr Ueberresto vou Alca inipennis, Linu." Naumburg, a/S. 1884. 78 THE GREAT AUK, OR GAREFOWL. \\\ |i ' SKINS — cotitinued. m Country. British Isles — continued. Place aud CoUoctluii. Denmark. ing. Seo p. 71, Prague, p. 77, Copenhagen, p. 79, also Ap pendix p. 10. Durlmni Uiuversity Museum. See p. 22 and p. 91, also Appendix, p. 10. Floors CdHtle, UoxburBhshiro. Collection of Duke of Uoxhurghe, seen by tliu author. It is not well stutfed, and wo tliink nii<;ht bo iiMjiroved. Seo Appendix, p. 11, also p. 92, Hawkstnne, Shropshire. Collection of Viscunut lull. See Ap- pendix, p. 13. Leeds. Museum of Pliilosophiciil Society. See Appendix, p. 14. Leighton. Wales. Cnlkctiimof Mr. Naylor. Seo Appendix, p. 14. Loudon. Natural History Collection, Uritisli Museum, seen by author. The first of these speciuu'us was bouj;ht by Dr. Leach at the sale of the etlbcts of Mr. HuUock on sth May 1819, for £is, s^<. 6d., and deposited in the National Collec- tion. The second was obtained by the Museum in 1856. It came from tlie collection of Professor Van Lidth de Jeude, who obtained it from the Koyal Museum, Copcnha<,'cn, to which institution it had como from Iceland subsequent to the year 1830, At one time the word Labrador was marked on its stand. Seo p. 10, also A|)pondlx, p. 15. London. A specimen which l)eIongs to Lord Lilford is at pre- .sent deposited in the rooms ot the Ornitholofjical Union, 6 'reiiterden Street j but will probably bo ore lou^; removed to his lurdshi]>'s seat, Lilford Hall, Uundlc, Northamptonshire. See Ap]iendlx, p. 15. Newcaslle-oii-Tyuc. Sluseum of the Natural History Society of Northumberland, Durham, and Newcastle-on-Tyne. There nro two specimens iiieserved hero. The first of those is a younc bird, which has been killed before it had winter plumage, and is a unique s|iecimen in that res])ect. For further particulars, sec p. 73. The other skin is tliat of an old bird in summer plumage, which until recently bebmged to Mr. John Hancock, who has been most handsome in his donations to the Museum. Seo Aiipeiidix, pp. 17 and 18. Norwich Town Museum. Seo Appendix, p. 19. Usberton, near Worksop, Nottinghamshire. Collection of Mr. F. W. Foljambe. See Appendix, p. 20. .Poltalloch, Lochgilpliead, Argyllshire. CluinaKo. Pro- fessor J. Steenstrup, in a letter (late. 85, and also Appendix, p. 9. Dre -del). Boyal Zoido^'ieal Museum. See Appendix, ]). 10. Flensburg. No skins are now known in this town. See Appen- dix, )). 10. Frankfort-on-Maino. In the Museum of the Seuckenberg Society of Natural llistury. See Apiiendix, p. 12. (iotlia. Ducal Muscnin. See Ajipendix, p. 12. Hanover. Provincial Museum. See Appendix, p. 13. Kiel. University Zoolou'ieal Museum. See Appendix, p. 13. Kiithou. Anlialt. The Ducal (formeily Nanmann's) Collection. See ApjM'iidix, p. 13. Leipzij;. I'niversity Museum. See Appendix, p. 14. Mainz. Town Zoolou'ical Museum. See Appendix, ]i. 16. Metz. Town Museum. See Apiiendi.x. p. 16. No. Autliority. Prof, J. Steenatrup. Prof. A. Newton. Prof. W. Blasius. Mr. B. Champley. Mons. L. Olplie- (iaillard. Herr. W. Preyer. Prof. W. Blasius. Mons. Victor Fatio. Liclitcustein. Herr K. BoUe. Herr Alex, von Honieyer. Prof. A, Newton. HeiT W. Preyer. Herr ^Vlcx. von Homeyer. Dr. Hellniaim. Cabanis. Prof. W. Blasius. Herr W. Preyer. Prof. A. Newton. Herr W. Preyer. Pr^ . A. Newton. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) h A Z .^ ^^4^ m. K" ^°^.% I/. m 1.0 1.1 £ lit ■— £ lis 112.0 u 18 ','■■•-,, '' 1.25 1.4 1.6 — ^ 6" - ► V] v^ / '/ /^ Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.V. 14580 (716) 872-4503 ^ SJ ^v ^^ ^,v .'**'^ ' <» ^t tlie house of Mr. Olsen a stuffed specimen of the Great .Vuk, which was said to be the last that was shot by Mr. Siemson, who mentioned the fact to Mr. Smith, and told him that at the time it was killed another Great Auk was left alive at the skerry south-west of Cape Reykianes. Mr. Smith supposed that this Great Auk liad been killed between 1S55 and 1S58, as when he visited Ice- land in the former year Tie did not hear of it ; but this must be a mistake, as the " IJescaiches " of Professor A. Newton and the late Mr. Wolley have made clear. Mr. Smith adds, "So far as my recollection serves me, tlie specimen I saw was much larger than the one recently shown at the Museum of Science and Art." Tliis remark refers to the Floors specimen, which was brought to lOdinbiirgh to be exhibited at a meeting of the Royal Physical Society (see page 9?). On receipt of this information wo at once wrote Mr. Smith asking if he had heard of the skin more recently, and on the nth December he writes, " I had written particularly to the Landfogcd at Reykjavik, Mr. TliorKt(!in»(m, hut he could not obtain any information about the specimen I saw, but I may yet be able to learn .•fometliing furtlier." I'rofe.Sbor A. Newton, to whom we mentioned Mr. Smith's statement, wrote ns, on 5th March 1885, as follows: — "I think your correspondent lias made some mistake. In 1858 Mr. vVolley and I were for sonic weeks in Reykjavik iiupiirin^ in every direction about the Auk, our inquiries being aided by the kindness of the towns- people. We never heard of such a specimen us you mention , and I think I can almost positively assert that there was ik , one, even in the whole of Iceland, at the time." Professor Steenstrnp writes, on i6th March 1885, regarding this speci- men, and states, " he thinks there is soino mistake about it." See also Appendix, p. j8. Florence. Museo Zoologico del R. Istituto di Studi Superiori. As to how this Museum acquired the skin there has been some dnubt, thimgli more than S- St. Petersburg. Zoological Museum of the Imperial Academy of Sciences. See Appendix, p. 21. Lund. Zoological Museum of the University. SeeAt)pendix,p. 15. Stockliolm. In Zoological section of the National Museum of Natural History. See Appendix, p. 22. Aarau. Town Museum. See Appendix, p. 5. Cortaillod. Collection of Captain A. Vouga. Sec Appendix, p. 9. Neuchfttcl. Museum of Natural History. See Appendix, p. 17. New York. Central Park Museum of Natural History. See Frontis|)iece, also Appendix p. 19, also note, p. 11. Tliere is said to be in tliis Museum tlic faulty skin tliat belonged at one time to Herr Mechlenburg, see Reykjavik, p. 80, also under Flensburg, Appendix, p. 10. Philadelpliia. Academy of Natural Sciences. See Appendix, p. 20. Pouglikeepsie. New York State. Vassar College. See Appendix, p. 21. Washington. Smithsonian Institute. See Appendix, ]>. 24. No. lor o I I 2 Authority. Mr. R. Champley. Prof. A. Newton. Mr. R. Champley. Prof. A. Newton, Prof. A. Newton. Prof. A. Newton. C. F. Brandt. Prof. A. Newton. 1) 11 n Dr. ;. Michalielles. Mons. Victor Fatio. Mons. L. Olphe- Gaillard. Mr. R. Champley. Prof. A. Newton. SUMMARY OF SKINS. Country. Austria Belgium Britisli Isles .... Denmark France Germany 20 Holland 2 Iceland o or i Italy S No. 4 2 22 3 8 Country. Norway Portugal Russia . Sweden . Switzcr'nnd , United States No. I I I 3 3 , 5 or 6 Total, 79 or 8l (For ligures of stufl'ed Skins of Great Auk, see Frontispiece, also p. 68.) (For remarks regarding what should be the attitude given to stuB'ed Great Auk Skins, see Appendix VI.) »»Sk>- I' 83 THE GREAT AUK, OR GAREFOWL. % I : ^M '' m ■hi i V SKELETONS. Country. British lules. France. Germany, Italy. United States. Placo nnd Collection. No. Cambridge. Collection of Professor A. Newton nnd his brother, Mr. E. Newton. Tliis skeleton was imperfect, and was prepared from a mummy got on Funk Island in 1863 (see p. 28). It is described by Professor Owen (Transactions of Zoological Society, vol. V. pp. 317-335, pis. li. Hi.) More recently it has been made perfect, or nearly perfect, with bones from the extremities of tlie stuffed skin in the University Museum of Zoology. London. British Museum. Tliis skeleton is very perfect. It was obtained from the mummy Great Auk sent from Funk Island in 1864. See pages 6 anil 28. London. British Museum, Palaeontological Department, South Kensington. Tliere is in this collection a skeleton which has been recently constructed from bones that belong to the collec- tion made by Professor John Milne nt Funk Island. This skeleton is tolerably perfect. See page 100. London. Koyal College of Surgeons. This skeleton is of old date, and probably belonged to Mr. John Hunter, from whom tl:e Huntcrian Collection derives its name. It has been pre- wired from a complete body — perhaps from an old dried-up specimen which at one time was the property of the Koyal Society. This skeleton is very perfect. London. Collection of Lord Lilford. This skeleton was con- structed from bones collected at Funk Island in 1874 by Professor John Milne. It is at pr(!sent at the rooms of the Ornithological Union, 6 Tenterden Street, but in all proba- bility will go from there to the mansion of hia lordship, Lilford Hall, Ounule, Northnniptonshiro. Paris. Museum of Natural History in the Jardin des Plantes. This is a very perfect specimen. It is of old date, nnd was probably prepared from a fresh corpse from Newfoundland. Dresden. Uoyal Zoological Museum. Constructed from bones obtained at Funk Island in 1874, by Professor John Milne. Milan. I'rivate collection of the late Count Ercole Turati, now in the Public Museum. Constructed from bones collected at Funk Island in 1874, l)y Professor John Milne. Boston. Harvard University Museum. These two skeletons were prepared from mummy Great Auks obtained at Funk Island during 1864. See p. 29. Authority. Prof. A. No-.4on. ft tt Mr. Ed. Gerrard, Prof. A, Newton, Lord Lilford. Prof. A. Newton. Prof. Wh. Blasius. ft II II Prof. A. Newton. DETACHED BONES. Country. Pliice and Collection, n a Authority. British Isles. If Cambridge. Collection of Prof. A. Newton and his brother, Mr. E. Newton. Hones of at least ci^'ht individuals, found in kitchen-middens in Iceland by the Tate Mr. WoUey and Prof. A. Newton. Ibis, 1S61, pp. 394-396. Edinburgh. Museum of Science and Art. Three perfect or nearly ncrfect Imhics ami four fragments (all roproscnting ditlerent bones) that may have belonged to more tlian one bird. These remains were obtained by the author during the excavations at Caistcal-nan-(!illean, Oronsay, and inesented by him to the Museum with the consent of Maior-General Sii J. C. M'Ncill, V.C. Seep. S3. 8 Prof. A. Newton. (I RECORDED REMAINS OF THE GREAT AUK. 83 Country. British Isles — continued. DETACHED BO^ES— continued. Place and Collection. Edinburgh. Museumof Science and Art. Some bones representing possibly more tliau one individual. The bones were obtained by Professor J. Milne at Funk Island, and we do not count tliem among the remains here, as they are included in the total of the remains collected by Professor J. Milne at Funk Island in 1874. See p. 85. Edinburgh. One fragment of a left humerus at present in the possession of the author. This is the bone of a distinct Great Auk from that mentioned, p. 82 (Edinburgh). See p. ^3. Edinburgh. One bone, perfect or nearly perfect, and six frag- ments. There is also another bone wliich is said to have belonged to the Great Auk, but it does not appear, so far as we know, to have been identified with certainty. These bones were all collected during the excavations at Caisteal-nan- Gillean, Oronsay, by Mr. W. Galloway, who exhibited them at the International Fisheries Exhibition, London, 1883. These remains represent ut least three specimens. During part of the summer (1884), Mr. \V. Galloway was exca- vating at a second shell-mound on Oronsay, and in a com- munication to Mr. Alexander Galletly states thiit among other remains he has discovered a coracoid bone of Alca impennis. It is just possible that when this mound is fully explored more remains of the Great Auk may be found, but at present there is only this bone to record. Edinburgh. National Museum of Antiquities. Three perfect or nearly perfect bones, and three fragments. These remains were discovered by the late Mr. Samuel Laing during some excavations at the Birkle Hill Kist, Keiss, Caitliness-sliirc. Vol. i. N.S. "Proceedings Scot. Society of Antiquaries," PP- 78, 79. See also figs. pp. 44, 45. The above bones have belonged to at least two birds. Seen by author. London. Koyal College of Surgeons Museum. One fragiient, the anterior portion of the sternum of a Great Auk, obtained by Air. (now Dr.) Joseph Anderson (keeper of the Scottish National Museum of Antimiities), at the Harbour Mound, Keiss, Caithness-shire. " Proceedings Scottish Society of Antiquaries," vol. i. N.S. p. 81. One cranium, which is believed to be very old. It is supposed to be mentioned by Mr. Neheniiah Grew as far back as 16S1. He refers to a dried Penguin, of which this is thought to be the Iiend (Museum Uegalis Societatis, London, 1681, pp. 71, 72). Some bones obtained at Funk Island by Professor John Milne in 1874, are preserved in this Museum, but are not here enume- rated, OS tlicv are included in total at p. 85. Mr. Edward Bldwcll, Fonnereou House, Twickenham, has re- cently puiclmsed some of the bones got on Funk Island by Pro- fessor Milne that were in the hands of Mr. E. Gerrard, jun., enumerated at p. 85. Some beaks, leg liones, &c., that belong to Professor Milne's find at Funk Island are in the possession of Mr. Edward Gerrard, inn,, 31 College Place, Cumden Town, N.W. They are included in the total at p. 85. Some bones of Aim impennis are mentioned as having been used to illustrate an Ostcological Lecture by a Mr. Blyth. For particulars see p. loi. li »a oor I Authority. Mr. Alex. Galletly. The late Dr. J. Alex. Smith. The late Dr. J. Alex. Smith. Prof. H. Flowers. Mr. E. Bidwcll. Mr. E. GeiTard, jun. Prof, A. Newton. J a . ^ •I; r: i I" t ' i.:;^ B^.l 84 r//£ GREAT AUK, OR GAREFOWL. DETACHED BONES— Con«n?/erf. CouDtry, British Isles — continued. Denmark. Faroe. Place and Collection. Newcnstle-on-Tyne. Museum of Natiiral History Society. One upper mandible, discovered among remains from a cave at tfie Whitburn Lizards, County Durham. See fifjnre, p. 64. Two crania and the wing and leg-bones of two birds, are bones that were extracted from the two skins in the Museum by the skill of Mr. J. Hancock. Waddon. In the collection of Mr. Crowley there are some bones recently bought from Mr. Edward Gerrard, jun. They belong to the collection made on Funk Island by Professor J. Milne, enumerated at p. 85. York. In the museum are seven hones that were purchased some time ago from Mr. Edward Gerrard, jun., London. They are part cf Professor Milne's find on Funk Island, and enumerated at y. 85. Most of the bones of the Great Auks that are preserved in Denmark are in the Royal University Zoological Museum, Copenhagen, but a few are in private collections in the pro- vinces ; and when we are not quite certain of the places at which the different collections are now to be found, we do not mention any locality. For most of the information regarding the Danish .'emains we are indebted to Professor J. Steenstrup. Bones of two individuals found in an ancient kitcben-midden at Meilgaard, in Jutland. Two right humeri and a radius from tho right side of an old bird, slightly injured at the ends. Obtained by Professor J. Steenstrup during 1855. One right humerus from an ancient kitchen-midden at Havelse, in Seeland (situated at the southern part of the Issefjord). Obtained by Ilerr Feddersen during 1856. Bones representing part of the remains of three individuals from an ancient kitctien-middcn at Gudunilund, some English miles south of tlic Linif jord in .Futlisnd, discovered during 1873. Remains representing tliree individuals from an ancient kitcben- midden at Sdlager in Seeland (situated at the northern part of the Issefjord), discovered during 1873. Some bones from Fanneiup, not far from Meilgaard in Jutland ; but we have Iwen imablc to ascertain how many individuals they represent or the year they were got. One nearly complete cranium, regarding which, on i6th March 1885, Professor Steenstrup has kindly sent us the following information: — "The origin of this CrauiuMi has evidently been misunderstood by Professor Rlasius from what he says in his recent paijcr ('Zur Geschichte dcr Uetericste von A/fa inipeiinis, Linn., p. 140'), It is of more recent date still, as belonging to the invcntarium of the Royal Kunst- kammer, it dates back more than a century." Two crania and other bones representing several individuals, per haps five or six, sent from Punk Island, ofV the coast of New- foundland, by the late Herr P. Stuvitz. See p. 34. The winjj-lwnes and metatarsus that were taken from a stuffed skin in tho Zoological Museum of the Royal University, Copenhagen. See p. 34. Island of Sandoe. When Professor J. Steenstrup visited Fariie in 1844, he heard of a (Jreat Auk's head that was juescrved on Saudoe, but wheu Mr, WoUey was at Fariie in 1858 he could It &s 5 or 6 oor I Authority. Mr. John Hancock. I) fi Mr. E. BidweU. Prof. J. Steens- trup. IU£.JtJ^ RECORDED REMAINS OF THE GREAT AUK. 8S DETACHED BOltiES -continued. Country. Faroe. continued. France, Germany. riace and Collection. Newfound land. Norway, United States. find no trace of it. However, we mention the circumstance, as it is just nosaible it may yet be found. See p, lo. Caen, Normandy. There is preserved here an imperfect cranium, wliicli belonged to the find of Professor J. Milne got at Funk Ishind in 1874. Tliis bone was bought by Professor de Long- champ. It is included in total of remains. See below, New- foundland. Berlin. Koyal Zooloi;ical Museum. There are in this insti- tution tlie bones iif several Great Auks tliat were brought by Professor J. Milne from Funk Island in 1874. We include them in total. See below, Newfoundland. Brunswick. There arc preserved in the Ducal Museum of Natural History a number of bones from Funk Island that were bought in London in 1881, and doubtless are some of those found at that island by Professor J. Milne in 1874. These Iwnes may belong to one individual. Tliey are included in the total. See below, Newfoundland Darmstadt. cranium ui mu inmaiiou specimen m tins collection is genuine, See p. 79, also p. 113. Professor J. Milne, during his visit to Funk Island in 1874, obtained remains that liave belonged to about llfty Great Auks, and tliese bones are now scattered among museums and private collections. In the foi egoiiig lists wo have endeavoured to avoid enumerating any of those bones, as we give the total here ; but we have mentioned tlie existence of some of them in several collections. See pa},'0 loi. Christiania. University Museum. Bones of several individuals sent from Funk Island by the late Ilorr P. Stuvitz. Bones sent liome from Funk Island by Herr P. .Stuvitz, but only recorded for tlio first time during 1884. See p. 100. Some bones representing at least seven ditl'erent Great Auks found at Mount Desert and Crouches Cave in Maine, and sliell-heaps near Ipswich in Massachusetts. J. Wyiuan, "Am. Nat." i. pp. 574-578. We have been unable to ascertain where these bones are at present preserved. >^S Grand Ducal Cabinet of Natural Ilistoiy. Tlie of the imitation specimen in this collection is genuine. Authority. 8 or 10 20 or 23 7 Prof, J, Milne, Prof. A. Newton. Prof. R. Collett. Ffof. A. Ne^vton. 'i' SUMMARY OF SKELETONS. British Isles , France Germany Italy . United States Total . il^': rl^ 86 THE GREAT AUK, OR GAREFOWL. NUMBER OF GREAT AUKS REI'RESEJfTED BY DETACHED BONES. British Isles • . . , , Denmarli . . Faroe .....'[ France (under Newfoundland) Germany (\md\y under Newfoundland) '. Newfoundland (remains collected by Professor J Milne, less four skeletons) Norwav United' States . . ". " ' 21 or 22 17 or 19 oor I o I about 45 or 50 about 30 or 31 about i2i or 131 DESCRIPTION OF PLATE IX. All the bones are drawn of natural size. b.ln!'^; l'^?T] :f "^7- «''°^^'" '" 't« vas transfen-ed by them to the Science and Art I)ei)artmont. The collection was bought principally on account of the stufled birds it contained. "The catalogue which accompanied the collection is complete in most "re- spects, but strangely contains no mention of any eggs. It is entitled ' Cata ogue dcs collections d'objets d'HistoTro Natlle forniaut le Cabinet de Mons. Ls. Dufresne, Naturaliste au Jardin du Koi, Pads ,815." For further particulars, see ir-.' i ^°^i,, •••'I'"."''"' I'l'i'L^s, p. loS, also Appendix, p. 28. Hitchin, Hci;ff„rdshii-o. Collection of Mr. Tuk'e. See .(pp., p. 28 Liverpool. The Miisonm. See Appendix, p. 29. ^i'l>;P-2S. London. ISatui-al History Department, British Museum. See Appendix, p. 29. London, lioyal College of Surgeons, Hunteiian Jluseum. See Appendix, p. 29. ^'' Twi'i '^'?"'-'«''"" ,»? Mr. Edward Uidwell of Fonncrcau House, iNuckenham This egg has recently been purchased fron he sister of ho late Rev. Goorgo W. Braikenridgo of Clcve- don, bonierset. For further particulars, see App., pf . 29 and 34. No. Authority. Prof. A. Newton and Prof. W. Blasius. Prof. A. Newton. Prof. \V. Blasius. Prof. W. Blasius. Major H. W. I'ielden. Mr. R. Champley. II 11 Prof. A. Newton. Mr. E. Bidwell. 1. 88 THE GREAT AUK, OR GAREFOWL. EGGS — continued. wm I i! II i 81 1 1| 4 It • '■■ } I Country. British Isles — continued. Plac« and Collection. Denmark. France. London. Collection of tlio lato Lord (!ftrvaj;li, now believed to bo in the posHesHion of tlie DowiiKor Lady (jarva^li. This ejjf; i.H ono of tlioHi; whicli liis late lordslii]) boiiuht in iS5^ from Mr. T. H. I'otts, now of Uliinitahi, New Zeiuand. It is said to have boon broken lhronii;li the carelessness of a footman, and after the death of Lord (iarva^di was olfored to the late Mr. (.;. I). ItowloVi alonji with the two whole ejn^tt which that gentleman is said to have purchased from the llowa},'or Lady (tarvngh, but as this specimeu was in a broken state, Mr. Kowley ileclined to buy it. See Appendi.x, p. 29. London. Collection of Lonl Lilford. There are here live egj,'s. The lir.st four of these are inentioncil in Appendix at p. 29 ; but the lifth has been purcliased quite recently by his lord- ship in Uorwotshire, and is said to be unrecorded. See Ap- ]>endi.\, p. 29. London. Collection of Mr. G. L. UussoU. See Appendix, p. 30. London. There was in the collection of a Mr. .Scales an Pita referred to by Professor A. Newton, {this, 1861, p. 387); but this eijji has been lost sight of since 1866. On 4th December 1884 Professor A. Newton wrote to Professor Wli. Blasius of lirunswick, informing him tbat Mr. Scales died at Krighton in September 18S4, aged 90. The son of the deceased in- formed Professor Newton that the egg was destroyed by fire some twelve ;\ears ago. There are plaster casts of this ejjq.; in tlie collections of Professor Newton and Mr. J. Hancock! See Appendix, p. 30. Newcastle-on-Tyne, in the collection of Mr. John Hancock, which he lias recently presented to the Museum of the Natural History .Society of Xortlmniberland, Durham, and Newr'astle-on-Tyne. See Api>endix, p. 30. Nunappleton, York.Hhire. Collection of Sir Frederick Milner, Hart. .See p. 104 ; also Appendix, p. 31. O.xford, University Museum of Natural History. See Appendix, P- 3i- Papplewick, Notts. Collection of Mr. Walter. See Appendix, p. 3>- Poltalloch, Lochgilphead, Argjlcshirc. Ccdlection of John Mal- colm, Escp See p. 103, also Appendix, p. 32. Professor Newton informs ns that he has possessed u drawing of this egg for some years. In letter lytti September 1884. Keigato, Surrey, in the collection of Mrs. Wise (Mr. .1. WoUey in M.S.) See Appendix, p. 32. Scarborou'di, Yorkshire, Museum of Natural History. See Ai)pendix, o. 33. Scarborough, Yorkshire. Collection of Mr. U. Cliainpley. See Appendix, p. 33. Wavinilon Ueetciry, by Wobnrn, Hedfordshirc. Collection of Rev. Henry liurney. Tills is a fine and perfect specimen. See Appendix, n. 34. Copenhagen, lloyal University Zoological Museum. In a letter dated 4th Pebniary 1S85, I'rofessor J. .Steenstrnp informs us that they liavo bad a splendid lignre of this e;ig drawn by a very good artist, a Mr. Tliornam. Sec Appendix, p. 28. Angers. Collection of Count do Uarace. Sec Appendix, p. 25, see p. 104. Angers. Muscc de la Villc. See Appendix, p. 25. No. Authority. Mr. U. Champley. Prof. A. Newton, i. Mr. R. Gray, 2, Prof. W. Rlaaius, i, Mr. E. Uidwell, i. Prof. A. Newton. Mr. R. Champley. Prof. W. Blasius. }f It Mr. R. Champley. Prof. A. Newton. Prof. A. Newton. Mr. R. Champley. It It Prof. A. Newton. Prof. J. Steenstrnp, Mr. U. Chaniitley. Prof. Wh. Blasius. .i,. ',. ] RECORDED REMAINS OF THE GREAT AUK. 89 EGGS — continued. Country. France— continued. Gerniatiy. Holland. New Zealuiul. I'ortu^'iil. Itusiiia. Switzer- land. United Status. Pliet and Cullcctlan. No. Uoimifs-leH-Dnukcrque. Collection of M. De Meozoinnker. See Appendix, p. 25. On tlie iHt October 1861, Mons. Do Mcezc- maker wrote Mr. K. Chanipluy a.s follows :—" Those en(js were l)ronglit, in wliat year I cannot lind out, by tlio captain of a wlialiiig vcshcI, who i^ave tlieni in u present to a merchant of this town (llerniies), wlio i,'ave them to a yonng man wlio was commencing a collection of cggft, which t acqnircd after his death." Dieppe. Collection do M. Hardy in the Mns(^c do la Ville. See Appendix, p. 27. Mnnoiivillo, Meurthc et Moselle. Collection of liaron Louis d'Hainouvillc. See Appendix, p. 30. Paris. Mnseum of Natural History, .fardin des Plantcs. See Appendix, ji. 31. At a niceiin},' of the Uerman Natural History Societies, held at Ma^jdebnr;,' on 22d September 18S4, Professor Wh. Hlasiiis mentioned that two e^gs of Alca impennis, that were previously stated to be in the Natural History Museum at Piiri.s, did not appear to be there now, as Herr Bergcr, merchant at WItleii, had written him saying that he was there this sumnur (1S84), and that ho did not find them in the Mnseum, and that they were unknown to the otiicials. It is inobable they nuiy bo in the Lyceum at Versailles, where tliey were known to be originally. Veraaillea. See Paris. See Ajipondix, p. 32. Breslau. Collection of Count Ilodern. See Appendix, p. 25. Dresden. Itoval Zoolojjical Museum. See Appendix, p. 27. Diisseldorf. Museum Ldbbcckeanum. See Aiipeudix, p. 27. Oldenburg. tirand-Ducal Museum of Natuial History. See Appendix, p. 31. Amsterdam. Aluseum of Zoological Society. See Ap., p. 24. Leyden. Zoological Museum. See Appendix, p, 29. The following letter referring to this egg is of interest : — "Lkyukn, :<)th Fcbnuirij 1S60. "Deau Sir,— According to your re(|Uest, I have the pleasure of sending you here enclosed a drawing (natural size) of the egg of the (.ireat Auk (.lAv; iiiijiciiiiin), being for the moment the only specimen in the jmssession of our Museum. The second one was, a few months ago, presented to the Koyal Zoological Society at Amsterdam. Both eggs were procured from a !•' reach whaler in the beginninj' of the century. " Tu U. ClIAMl'LliY, Ehii, "From H. ScHl.Er.F-L, Scarborough. Director of the Hoyal Museum of Natural Hi^^tory of tlic Ohinitabi, Canterbury. Collection Netherlands.' of Mr. T. H. Potts. See Lisbon. The .Museu Xacional (Sec(,'aoZooIogico). See Aji., p. 29. St. I'etersburg. See p. 1 10. Lausanne. Museum of Natural History. See Appendix, p. 28. Philadelphia. Academy of Natural Sciences. There is certainly one e;.'g preserved in this Iiistitulii)ii, but it is just possible there may be two. .See Appendix, p. 32. Washington. Smilbsimian Institution. See Appendix, p. 34, and (under Philadelpliia) p. 32. Autborltj. Mons. Leon Olphe- Gaillard. Mr. K. Chauipley. I Prof. Wh. Blasius. I or M. Des Murs, i. 3 I Prof. A. Newton, a. 2 or o I I Mr. K. Champley. Prof. Wh. Blasius. I j Cabanis. Mr. U. Champley. Mr. T. H . Potts. I Mr. Ph. L. Sclater. 2 or o I M. Victor Patio. I i Prof. A. Newton. I Prof. A. Newtim. M P' i ^^4 !| » \W] :> ^ 90 THE GREAT AUK, OR GAREFOWL. Conntrv. Britisli Isles Denmark . France Oerninny . Holland New Zealand SUMMARY OF EGGS. No. Country. 45 rortii),'al . I Un.isia II Switzerland 4 United States . 2 I ','J '.Total No. I o or 2 I 2 68 or 70 As far as we have been able to ascertain, the known remains of the Gare- fowl may be totalled as follows : — Country. Skins. Phyalologieal l'iopar«tto]i8. Skeletons. No. of illi-da Repro- Bontcd l>y Dctnclied Dunes. Egg". Austria . 4 ^ Belginin British Isles . ... Denmark 3 S 2 1 or 22 45 Faroe . 1 7 or 19 I Franco . 8 oor I Germany Holland 20 2 oor I nrded or I I I II 4 Iceland . Italy . ...' 2 Newfoundland (uiirec I remains collected by J. Milne). " I'rof. New Zealand al)ont 45 or 50 Norway I Portugal 30 or 31 Russia . . ' I . 1 2 ... I Sweden . or 2 Switzerland . 5 or 6 United States Total 2 7 1 I 2 . 79 or 81 1 2 or 3 10 ahont 121 or 131 6S or 70 I!f..\iai!Ks on the Remains. That there is little hope among natnralist.s that any great qnantitv of Oarefowl remains may yet be di.scovered i. clearly evidenced by the i„croasi;>g value put upon Its skins bones, and eggs, but especially the skins an.l eg.s, an.l so great is the des,,^ to obtain these tl.at unprincipled persons itave been "known to imitate them. Some of the bones l,rought from Funk Inland were sold at comparatively moderate prices, but probacy the liritish remains, if these were for sale, would letch high prices, owing to their great rarity. rmmm mmmmsmmm mmmmmmmm GREAT AUK SKINS AND THEIR VALUE. 91 Eemauks on Skins and tiieik Value. During the last sixty or seventy years many sales of skins have taken place, but as most of these have been carried through privately, it is only in a few instances that tlie prices given have been made public. It is, however, interest- ing to observe the rapid increase whicii has taken place in the value of such remains, and for the purpose of illustrating this we may state that on the 5th May 1819 the skin that was obtained in 1812 from Papa Westra, one of the Orkney Islands, and whicli liad a special interest as being of British origin, was sold at Mr. Bullock's sale for £15, 5s. Gd. In 1832, the specimen °now at Neuchatel was bought at Mannheim for 200 francs, or about £8. Two specimens now at Muuicli were purchased in 1833 for 200 llorins (£1G, 9s. 2d.) and 50 tlorins (£1, 2s. 3d.) The sldn in the University Museum, Durham, was bought in 1831 or 1835 by the Rev. T. Gisborne from Mr. H. Eeid, Doncaster, for £7 or £8 (see Mr. Proctor's letter, page 22). There is now at Gotha, a skin that was purchased in 1835 for 20 thalers from Frank, a dealer in zoological wares at Leipzig. The e.xact date at whicii the Poltalloch specimen was bought is unknown, but was probably about 18 10 ; and it was purchased in London from tlie elder Mr. Leadbetter, dealer in natural history specimens, for a price which, as far as Mr Malcolm, the purchaser, recollects, was £2 or £3. A skin now in Aarau, Switzerland, was purchased in 1842 or 1813 for 80 ilorms (£0, ILs. 8d.) Another skin now in Bremen was bought in 1811 for £6. The last two specimens of the Garefowl that were killed on Eldey at the begin- ning of June 1811, were sold before they reached Eeykjavik for eighty rigsbank- dollars, about £9, or £1, 10s. each. Sixteen years now elapse without the price paid for any .skin becoming known to the public, but in 18G0 the skin now at Clungunford House, Aston-ou-Clun, Siiropshire, was obtained by a dealer in natural history specimens from the Museum of Mainz in exchange for the skin of an Indian ta])ir. About the same time, probably during the .same year, the late Ilerr Mcchlenburg of Tlensburg sold to Mr. E. Cliampley of Scarborough a skin and egg, which are now in his collection, and for which he paid £15. It is stated tliat llerr Mcchlenburg also sold a skin without feet, and from which the breast plumage was awanting, fur 1000 marks Schleswig-Holstein currency (= £G0), to Siemsen, a merchant in Eeykjavik, but this is probably a ^B^^mmmm 9» THE GREAT AUK, OR GAREFOWL. hif i; li i .-, , ! ■ I mistake." It was through the agency of the same Siemsen that numbers of the Icelandic skins had been forwarded at an earlier date to Ueninark. The specimen figured (see frontispiece), which is no ,v preserved in the American Museum of Natural History, Central Park, New York, and presented to that iiistitution by Mr. Ilobert L. Gtuart, was purchased in 18G8 for G25 dollars gold, which, cal- culating the value of each dollar at 4s. 2d. sterling, gives a total value of £130, 'Is. 2d. This skin belonged to the late Dr. Troughton, who, from a remark in a letter (see p. lOG), appears to have bought it from Mr. Bartlett about 1851, and after his demise it was sold by his executors to Mr. Cook, a dealer in natural history specimens, for £91. Mr. Cook stuffed the skin, and then sold it for £120 to Mr. I). G. Elliot, New York, from whom it was bought by Mr. Stuart and presented as above. In 18G9 one of the skins now in the collection of the late Mr. G. 1). Eowley, was purchased by the late Mr. G. A. Frank of Amsterdam for ten louis d'or.' On the 13th April 1870, Mr. Edward Gerrard, junior, wrote to the authorities of the Museum of Science and Art, Edinburgh, offering to sell a skin of Alca impcnnis for £100. He said that he had seen Mr. Bryce Wright, dealer, in London the day previous, and he wanted £110 for a large skin of a Great Auk which was in fair preservation ; that before leaving he (Mr. Gerrard) got Mr. Wright to agree to part with it to him for £100. Tlie Museum authorities, after consideration, determined to decline the offer, as at that time it was thought to be too high a price to pay. In the same letter is mentioned the price paid by Mr. Cook for the skin now in New York. ilr. Gerrard also says tliat until shortly prior to tin's time the value of the skins was £80 to £00. A number of skins arc in private collections, wliere they are quite lost to students of natural history. If this should meet the eye of the possessor of one (if these, perhaps they will permit us to lay before them the claims of the Scottish National Museum, Chambers Street, Edinburgh, which, with one of the finest col- lections of birds in the three kingdoms, is still without a Great Auk or Garefowl. It is probable that a few skins as yet unrecorded e.xist in private collections, and we may instance the two recently brought to light in Scotland, which are tlie only ones known to be north of the Tweed, The first of these was found in the Museum of His Grace tlie iJuke of lioxburghe at Floors Castle, Kelso, and its discovery in tliat collection a few years ago created much interest among " Tills fnulty specimen is saiil to Ijc now in the (Viitriil Park Museum, New York (nee p. HI). ' Kiiual tu about i'!), I89. 5d. The price seems too muAl for a skiu. ' RECENT DISCOVERIES OF GREAT AUK SKINS. 93 Scottish ornithologists. It is unfortunately not a very good siiecimen, ind the appearance of the skin as at present mounted is apt to convey the impression that the bird had been half starved ; but it is probable tliis is rather due to the taxidermist who stuffed it than to the skin itself, and we venture to express the opinion that in skilful hands the defect might be remedied. IJntil about 1880 tliis specimen was only known to a very few individuals, but about that time its existence came to the knowledge of Mr. John Gibson of the Museum of Science and Art, Edinburgh, who succeeded in obtaining the permission of the Duke of Eoxburghe to have it recorded. For t'lat purpose it was brought to Edinburgh in April 1883, and exhibited at a meeting of tlie Eoyal Physical Society, held on the 18th of that month, when a short paper upon it was read by Mr. Gibson,' who thinks it probable that this specimen came from Iceland some time between 1830 and 1810, as it was during that period His Grace the late Duke made the Floors Castle collection of birds, and it is also understood that he visited Iceland. It ajipears, however, to be very uncertain how the skin came into the collection ; and at our request Mr. Andrew Urother.ston, curator of the Floors Castle museum, inquired of His Grace the present Duke, and the following is a short extract from a letter on the subject received from Mr. Brotherston, dated 20th June 1882 :— "I was at Floors to-day, and saw His Grace the Duke of Eoxburghe. He is uncertain about the history of the Great Auk, but has an impression that his father bought it in Edinburgh." In answer to more recent inquiries, Mr. Brotherston writes us, under date 0th September 1881: — "I am sorry to say that I have not been able to learn anything more about the Great Auk at Floors." Professor A. Newton has informed Professor W. P.lasius that he conjectures this skin was bought from a London dealer (see Ajipendix, p. 11). We believe tliat it was Mr. P.rotlierston wlio was the first to call attention to this specimen, and it was from him that Mr. Gibson heard of it. It is unfortunate tliat so little is known of its history. The only words written on its stand are — " Great Auk— Male," Mr. Gibson, in his paper referred to, says—" Tlie bird is an adult male in full summer plumage— the following being its princi]ial .'.imcnsions ; Length from tip of l)ill to ond of tail „ of tail ..... „ of tarsus .... „ of wing .... ,, of bill doi'sally IncheB. 34i 3" ^ I ! i 94 THE GREAT AUK, OR GAREFOWL. Length of gapo „ of bill from nostrils „ Depth of bill Inclios. 4i 2? H " There are seven ridges on the upper, and eleven (two of them indistinct) on the lower mandible. The number of ridges and the largo size of the bird point to the specimen as being that of an old male." ■^■u H f I ill Ui The second skin that has recently been brought to light in Scotland was, as far as we are aware, recorded for the first time by I'rofessor Wh. Blasius in his work, " Zur Geschichte der Ueberreste von Alca impennis" published in the beginning of 188-i. He got the information regarding its existence from Pro- fessor A. Newton, who, in a letter dated 17th September 1881', informs us that he heard of this sidn, and also the egg in the same collection, from Mr. Whiteley, who stated that he had seen them thirty years ago. This skin and egg are preserved at Poltalloch, near Lochgilphead, Argyleshire, and belong to John Malcolm, Esq., who kindly writes us, under date 10th August 1881 — "I am sorry I cannot give you much information relative to the specimen of the Great Auk in my possession. I have a very fine and perfect specimen of that bird in my small collection, and also the egg ; both these were purchased by me many years aL,'0 in London, and I do not know whsre they came from, but believe they were brought home in one of the Arctic expeditions." In answer to our further inquiries, Mr. Malcolm wrote us on 23d August 1881 — "I think you are correct that the specimen of the Great Auk wliich I have was bought from the elder Leadbetter, but I cannot recollect the price I paid for it, and have no record to refer to of the purchase. ... If I remember ri[iht, the specimen of the bird itself did not cost me more than two or three pounds, but, as I before said, I cannot be sure of this, and have no memoranda." The information regarding this sldu and egg did not reach Professor Blasius until the part of his work which refers to the skins was published, so he mentions it in connection with the egg, and ho states that Professor Newton thinks these specimens were bought from forty to fifty years ago (see Appendix, p. 32). Another instance of the recent discovery of a skin has occurred in Den.nark, where one has been brought to light in the collection of Count Ilaben at Aallioliii, Nysted, Laaland. The first information we got about this skin was in a letter from Professor J. Steenstrup of Copenhagen, dated 25th August 1883. RECENT DISCOVERIES OF GREAT AUK SKINS. 95 We understand that he only became aware of its existence shortly previous to that time (for further inforniaiion, see Appendix, p. 4). Since the above discovery was intimated another skin has been brought into notice through the inquiries of Professor W. Blasius, and he recorded this skin in a paper he read on the 22d September 1884, at a meeting of the German Natural History Societies, that met together at Magdeburg. The learned Pro- fessor stated that in the spring of 1884, during a journey to Russia, he visited Warsaw, where he heard from Ilerr Lad. Taczanowski, the keeper of the Zoological Museum in that city, that he had frequently seen a very fine specimen of a stuffed skin of Alca impennis in the private collection of Mons. Jules Vian at Paris, and that the last time he saw it was quite recently. On the 2d February 1885, Professor W. Blasius kindly sent us the following additional information :— " The specimen was bought at a low price some three years ago from a sailor at Brest, in whose family it had been kept for some fifty years. This skin is also mentioned on the authority of E. Fairmaire, by Olphe-Galliard in his ' Contributions h la fauna ornithologique de I'Europe occidentale.' Fascicule I., 1884, p. 26. Doubts may, however, be cast on the existence of the two birds mentioned by the same author (ibid., p. 29), as in tlie Collection Dufresne, Paris." There was at one time a stufTed skin of Alca impennis in the Natural History Museum in Manchester, which is now in connection with " The Owens College." On the 9th October 1884, Professor W. Boyd Dawkins kindly wrote as follows — " I am sorry that our specimen of Alca impennis disappeared before 1869, and I have never been able to trace it." Immediately on receipt of this letter we wrote thanking the learned Professor for the information, and asking him if he could favour us with any particulars regarding the history of this skin, and also of an egg mentioned as being in the Manchester Museum by Professor W. Preyer of Jena, in 18G5. Professor W. Boyd Pawkins, when our letter reached him, was kind enough to hand it to Mr. J. R. Hardy, who, writing from "The Owens College" on the 20th October 1884, says— " Professor Dawkins handed me your letter some days ago. I have had a good hunt, but fail to find any trace of Great Auk or egg. I remember when quite a little lad my father buying the skin and e;j:g for £in, but I cannot just now find the letters. I have gone over thousands of my lato father's letters, but so far fail to find the ones regarding the Great Auk." It is just possible this skin and egg may yet be found. We are not aware that the skin has been previously recorded. T] • \ iff ,'■ tti: til' 1 ■ 96 THE GREAT AUK, OR GAREFOIVL. At least one skin that had become decayed has been destroyed, and those who permitted this must surely have been wanting in knowledge of its value. The skin referred to was in the Teyler Collection in the Haarlem Museum ; and Mr. G. A. Frank of London informed Professor W. Blasius that it was pur- posely destroyed during the management of Professor Breda, and that no bones were obtained from it. In a letter to Mr. Pi. Chanipley, which was probably written about 1860, though it bears no date, Herr Friedrich Schultz, Dresden, informs him that in the year 1835, on March 21st, he received from Mr. F. G. \V. Brandt, Hamburg, three skins of Alca ivqvnnis and two eggs. On the 9th May of the same year he bought personally at Hamburg, from a stranger, two skins and two eggs. He received, on 7th July, from Mr. Salmin, Hamburg, one skin. From that time he did not get any skins of Alca impcnnis. Ho says, " According to my books these skins and eggs were sold only to the following: — Mr. Henry Eoss, Leipzig, one skin ; after his death the collection went to Professor Dr. Schweageichen, and later to the Museum of his University ; Mr. llobert I raak, Amsterdam, got two skins; Mr. Hugh Iteid, Doncaster, two skins and two eggs; Barber Hiihnel, Leipzig, one egg. What has become of the rest I cannot state with certainty." Before leavhig tliis part of our subject, il may be as well that we should refer to the number of skins obtained from Iceland between the years 1830 and 18414. It is most dilhcult to get accurate information upon this matter, and Professor Newton, Professor I'rcyer, and Professor lilasius all a}>pear to difter, more or less, as to the number of birds captured. The fact seems to be that so many years had elapsed after the last specimens of Alca impeimis were obtained, before inquiries were instituted as to the actual numbers killed, that those who made raids on Eldey had forgotten the exact numbers ; and the statements of Herr Sieniseu of Peykjavik, into whose hands a number of the skins and eggs had passed, appear to Professor Newton to be inaccurate. The same writer states, that besides this he has no doubt a nundjer of expeditions to the .skerry took place between 1830 and 1811, of which, when he wrote his paper on the late Mr. Wolley's researches in 1801, he could give neither the dates or the results. He then alludes to the total number of skins got during the fourteen years referred to, and says, " If all the stories we received can be credited, the whole nutiiber would reaiOi eighty-seven. I should imagine sixty to be about the real amount.'"' Professor Blasius, who has studied the subject caiel'ully, api'cars to think that probably the • Mr. J. WoUcy's "Keaeaiclica,'' by Prof. A. Newton. Ilia, Octubir, ISUl. i>. 392. ' ' REMARKS REGARDING GREAT AUK SKELETONS. 97 following are the numbers of skins that reached Britain and the Continent of Europe, between 1830 and 1840 during the different years mentioned:— 1830, twelve to twenty-one ?; 1831, twenty-four ; 1833, three to thirteen ? ; 1834, nine ; 1840, three. Total, fifty-one or seventy." To these there has to be added tlie two birds killed in 1844, the last Garefowls that were seen. Most if not all the Gare- fowls obtained during these years appear to have been skinned by opening them under the right wing, and then the skins were stuffed with hay, the bones being wrapped round with hemp (Ibis, 18G1, p. 390). The greater number of the skins enumerated by I'rofessor Blasius were sent from Iceland to Copenhagen, but a con- siderable number reached London, and a few went to Hamburg and Flensburg, Skeletons. The two incomplete skeletons said to exist at Breslau and Florence, men- tioned by Mr. II. Champley ("Ann. and Mag. Natural Hist.," 1864, vol. xiv. p. 23G), appear to be non-existent, as Professor W. Blasius has made inquiries and can find no trace of them. He wrote I'rofessor Anton Schneider, director of the University Zoological Museum at Breslau, regarding all the remains of Alca iinpcanis known to exist there, and requested him for information. Professor Schneider wrote regarding -ther remains of the Great Auk at Breslau, but he made no mention of a skeleton. As it was desirable that this point should be settled, he wrote to Professor Schneider, and in a letter dated 3d October 1884, he kindly informed us that " no skeleton or part of a skeleton of the Alca impennis exists in either the Zoological or Anatomical Museums of the University here." On the 25th Septem- ber 1884, we received a letter from Mr. II. Champley, in answer to our inquiries as to how he came to make the statement referred to, and apparently there must be some mistake as to Mr. Champley having been the authority for the Breslau skeleton ; he says, " I have no recollection of any skeleton at Breslau. I am not aware that my name is mentioned in connection with any skeleton supposed to be in Breslau. If my name has been inserted, it is an error." As to the incomplete skeleton at Florence, I'rofessor Enrico H. Giglioli wrote Professor W. Blasius, saying, " Not even a bone exists in Florence." This statement seems very clear, but as we thought Mr. Champley might be able to \m, V. ^2i\ '-^^^^'"'^^ '^"" ^''•■•'"'■''sto von Alca inipennu. Liun., I'rof. WUh. Blasius. Nuumburg a.S, N 98 THE GREAT AUK, OR GAREFOIVL. it M' m^ throw some light upon the subject, and at least state how he came to mention the existence of this skeleton, we wrote him asking for information ; and on the 23d September 1881 he wrote, " As regards the skeleton, it was part of one in spirits, and shown me by the curator in his private room in 18G1, when I was at Florence." On the 26th September ho wrote us further upon the same subject. He says, " I made no note of the results of my inspection of the Museum (the Anatomical and Natural History one), but to the best of my belief the skeleton had a portion of the viscera attached, and was contained in a sealed glass jar about 18 inches by 8 inches. I remember the visit perfectly well." It occurred to us that as there was a considerable difference between an incomplete skeleton of a Great Auk and part of the body of one of these birds preserved in spirits, that it might be well to write and explain this to Professor Enrico H. CJiglioli, and ask if he could give any information upon the subject. We accordingly wrote, and the learned Professor kindly replied on Gth October 1884, as follows : — " From renewed inciuiries I find that no skeleton or single bone of the Great Auk ever was in this Museum, and I cannot imagine how Mr. Champley came to make his statement." We communicated this information to Mr, Champley, who wrote us on the 11th October: — "I will look among my papers; I think I have the card of the curator, or at least his name. It is now twenty-three years sinca The glass- case contained other birds, only I remember there was a door on each side, and the glass sealed bottle was on a shelf in the centre. As I said before, I took little interest save in tlie skins and eggs at that time." On the 15th October Mr. Champley again wrote : — " I remember well what was shown me, because at the time I was so much impressed, and I had no object whatever in stating what I then noticed. During my tour in 18G1 I preserved all my hotel bills, and the cards, addresses, introductions, &c., are all together somewhere; I will look them out." On the 18th October he wrote as follows : — " I have looked over my diary, and only find a pencil note similar to my previous statement. I cannot find any name of the curator, but I think his name had three syllables, and there was, I think, a tautology in the pronunciation. I have an indistinct remembrance of the name. Possibly if you had half a dozen names of that date (1861), I could then recall the name." We wrote to Professor Enrico H. Giglioli on the 20th October informing him of what Mr. Champley said, and on the 2d December he answered us as follows : — " I have been absent from Florence for the last month, and that accounts for my not having answered your last. The persons in charge of the Florence Natural History Museum in 1861 REMARKS REGARDING GREAT AUK SKELETONS. 99 were Messrs. Ikuscoli and Ticcioli ; both arc alivo, and both tell me that they never saw anything like the specimen described by Mr. Champley. There must be some mistake, and I am inclined to think that Mr. C. saw what he describes in some other museum, for even if the sujiposed specimen had since disappeared from tliis nmseum it would be yet on the old catalogues, which I have, and in which I find no mention of such a specimen." When this letter reached us wo at once communicated its contents to Mr. Champley, who replied as follows on the 8th December :— " deferring to your letter, I can only add that t made the pencil entry at the time, but neither of the names you give resembles the one I indistinctly remember. At all events, the Great Auk remains are not there. Some museums effect exchanges, and these remains may possibly turn up some- where, and the mystery be cleared up." On the 13th December 1881, Mr. Champley kindly sent us the original note, which he had found among his papers, and of which tlie following is a copy. It is written on a scrap of paper, and Mr. Champley says he does not know the name of the person who wrote it, but it was written for him at his request when he was in the Museum at Florence. This note, though it specially refers to a skin, seems to decide the question at issue : — " Lc seul iiidividu de VAlca ■impcnnia existant dans la Collection ornithologiquo du Rl. Musdo d(i riiysiquo et d'llistoiro naturelle do Florence, fut aclieto dan.s Ian 1837 du niarchaud uatundisto Etienno Moricaud do Gonivo. " Fedeuioo liuuscoLi, Comervateur. " Feruikand ricciOLi, Aide da Pro/esseur de Zoologte des Virti'lm^. " Florkn-ce, lc 21 Mai, 1861." In a letter, dated 17th January 1885, Mr. Champley says, " I have been think- ing over and over again about the viscera of the Aka impnmis at Florence. It was placed in a glass case fronting a circular table on which stood, I believe, a portion of the hands of Galileo under a shade." If these remains exist anywhere, and they are ever discovered, it will be most interesting, as the only physiological preparations of Alca imjKiinis known are those in the Museum at Copenhagen, though the body of another Great Auk is said to have been sent from Iceland in spirits. See p. 103. As our readera are aware, the remains that were obtained from Funk Island in 187 i by Professor J. Milne are now scattered, and as it was, if possible, desirable that fuller information should be obtained regarding these bones, we communicated with Mr. Edward Gerrard, juur,, who kindly answered us as 100 THE GREAT AUK, OR GAREFOWL. ,1 follows on 23(1 September 1 88t : " I do not remember the exact number of beaks of the Great Auk, b\it tliero were over fifty. I aortetl and fitted the bones together as well as I could to make three skeletons, but it is impossible to say of how many different birds each skeleton was made up. Besides the three skeletons yon name, there is now another in the British Museum. I sold a series of bones to Dr. Woodward, and since the collection has been at Kensing- ton ho has had them put together, and they make a tolerably perfect skeleton. I sold one skeleton to Count Turati, one to Mr. T. C. Eyton, and another to Dr. Meyer. Imiierfect heads and odd bones I sold to a good many people." In a postscript Mr. (lerrard informs us that he lias still a few beaks, leg-bones, &c., to dispose of, and any persons desiring to obtain Alcino remains would do well to get further information from him. llis address is 31 College Place, Camden Town, London, N.W. The skeleton sold to Count Ercolo Turati was still, in 1881, in the collection of that deceased nobleman, as mentioned by T. Salvador! {Unit, 1881, p. 609); but we liave recently received information that it is now in the Public ^fuseum, Milan. The skeleton sold to Mr. T. C. Eyton is now in Lord Lilford's collection, and the unmounted skeleton sold by Mr. (ierrard to Dr. A. B. Meyer has been put together and is in the Museum at Dresden. i\ 111 '■ •> Detaciikd Bonks. From an examination of the bones sent home by P. Stuvitz from Funk Island, Professor B. Collett lias arrived at the conclusion tliat they represent thirty-six individuals, and he has publislied the results of his investigations in " Mittheilungen des Ornitliologischen Vereins in Wiuii," 1881, Nos. 5, G. We are indebted to Professor Stecnstrup for this information, wliicli he sent us on IGth March 188.5. Unfortunately we have had no opportunity of seeing the papers in question, but if we deduct, from the tliirty-six enumerated by Professor Collett, tlie bones sent by Stuvitz, now in Copenhagen, said to represent five or six specimens, and those in Christiunia, raid to belong to eight or ten individuals, ve have bones repre- senting either twenty or twenty-three Great Auks still to record. (See page 85.) The bones that have been discovered in tlie Danish KjokkennKiddiugs liave not yet been properly recorded, and to a foreigner living in a distant country, and without a knowledge of the language, the diflicuities in connection witli this work may be looked upon as insurmountable. If some Danish arclueologist REMARKS REGARDING nONES OF THE GREAT AUK. lOI would undertake tliis labour, he would l)e conferring a favour upon all interested in Alca impennia. With the desire of tracing to their present resting-places at least some of these remains, we wrote to Professor J. Stcenstrup, who has always been so willing to give us information, and he answered our inquiry in a letter dated 25th November 1883, as follows: — "I am very sorry that I am unable to give you such references as in this case I wish to do, because I can by no means spare the necessary time for researches and correspondence with different persons still living in Jutland, and in whose small collections of flint and bone imple- ments, and of bones of mammals and birds, I have observed some relics of Alca impennis. Such relics are indeed very few, and it is to be hoped that they will find their way some day to the Zoological Museum in Copenhagen. Of course I nuist confess that not all the bones of Alca impennis found to this day, and known to me, are in the Museum. The number of individuals to which our bones belong I cannot say before they have been more exactly compared, and the relations of tarsal and leg bones to humeri and ulnae, &c., duly considered." Most of the bones of Alca impennis that have been known to exist in Britain have been accounted for, but there are amissing those that were used by a Mr. Blyth for an osteological lecture delivered before the Zoological Society of London in 1837 ("Proceedings, Zoological Society," 1837, p. 122). In the Ibis, 1860, p. 397, Professor A. Newton refers to these bones, and supposes that they were extracted from a skin. He lately informed Professor \Vh. Blasius that Mr. Blyth afterwards gave him confirmation of the conjecture. It is not known what after- wards became of these bones, and with as little certainty can it be stated out of what skin they proceeded. In a letter to Professor Wh. Biasing, Professor A. Newton says—" I remember that many years ago I asked P.lyth about the bones which he mentioned in 1837, but he could not remember out of what specimen they were procured, but it was probably (?ne that was stuffed by Bartlott, the present superintendent of the Zoological (Jarden, London, for Tucker, a London dealer, wiio on one occasion about that time had from eight to ten skins of this bird all at once ; all of course from Iceland. Tucker died many years ago, and I never knew him. Bartlott has no remembrance of the affair, but he and Blyth were very intimate at that time." The large quantity of remains of /1/ca impennis obtained on Funk Island during 1871- by Professor J. Milne, have been purchased by many nuisoums as well as private collectors, aiul have proved useful in filling up in numerous instances a much felt want. w. 102 THE GREAT AUK, OR GAREFOWL. !# i;- ;! '■■! 4 ■ ' It njipears that on the rotuni of Professor Mihio, ho allowed tho authorities of the British Museum aud the Koyal Colle{,'0 of Surgeons, London, and I'rofessor A. Newton of Cambridge, to make their selections, and afterwards handed over tho greater part of liis find to Mr. Edward Gerrard, junr., dealer in Zoological wares, who out of them put together tho three skeletons already mentioned, and then sold most of tho numerous remaining bones to his own eustomers and to other dealers who resold them. In our lists we have occasion to refer to these remains repeatedly. After deducting the three skeletons constructed by Mr. (Jerrard and tho one skeleton in the British Museum, South Kensington, wo think tho probable total wo mention at page 80 is as near tho correct number of Garefowl represented by the remains, as it is now possible to ascertain. What may bo tho worth of a skeleton, or even detached bones, of Alca ivqyennis is exceedingly doubtful, as almost no information on this point, as far as prices given in tho past, is obtainable. The dealers, through whoso agency most of the recent sales have been eflected, are naturally reticent as to tho prices paid them for remains by their clients. In 1870 there was bought from Mr. E. Gerrard, junr., for the Museum of Science and Art, Edinburgh, an imperfect crania, two humeri, and several other bones from Funk Island, at a cost of 253. Physiological PitErAitATioxs. During 1883 we were informed by Professor Japetus Steenstrup of Copenhagen that he intended to have tho viscera of tlio two Great Auks in tho Museum figured. As wo thought it might bo possible to arrange to give prints of those figures in this work, we wrote the learned Professor, and he kindly replied as follows on the 2oth August 1881: — "If tho figures of tho viscera of the Great Auks in tho Museum had been ready I certainly would have sent you them. We have obtained specimens of Alca lonla of both sexes from the Faroe Islands, killed on the same days of the year as our^/ra iinpcnnis ^ and c?. a"d preserved in spirit. These reached Copenhagen some weeks ago. As soon as time allows, preparations similar to the preparations of Aim iiiqjcnnin are to be made, aud then both sets of preparations are to be figured for comparison. Without suits the figures of the viscera ol Alca impennis would bo of no use at all." In the IbU for 1801, page 300, Professor Xewton refers as follows to the body of a Great Auk that was preserved in s^nrit : — "In August 18 iO or 1811, THE VALUE OF GREAT AUK EGGS. 103 threo skins, as many eggs, and the body of a bird in spirit was bouglit of Factor Chr. Thade, now (1801) living at Copenhagen, by Hcrr S. Jacobsen, who told us that he parted with tlieiu cither to Ilurr Seining, a naturalist at Hamburg, or to Mr. Jainrach, the well-known dealer." These reinains had been evidently obtained on Eldey. What became of the bird in spirit appears to be iniknown, and it would be most interesting if it could be traced, as physiological preparations of the Great Auk are so rare. EOGS. The value of the eggs is better known, as on one or two occasions they have been .sold by auction, and the rapid increase in value is easily seen by an examination of the prices paid. The two eggs now in I'liiladelphia were both bought from dealers in Paris by their previous possessor, M. O. Des Murs, at remarkably low prices compared to what are now given. The first was bought ;id June 1830 for 5 francs, about 4s. Id. The second was purchased on the 10th May 18:3;5 for 3 francs, about 2s. 5d. One of the eggs now in (Cambridge is believed to have been bought in 1832 for £2. The specimen now at Breslau was sold at Leipzig in 1835 for 7 thalera = £1, Ig. It is said to have been purchased by the present holder in 1870 for 200 thalors = £30. Anotlier egg, now at Scarborough, was also bought at Leipzig in 1835 for 7 thnlers = £1, Is., along with some other eggs. This Oreat Auk's egg was sold alone in 1857 for 50 thalers ■- £7, IDs., but what the present holder paid for it we do not know. Many years ago, probably about 1 810, the egg recently brought to light at Poltalloch was bought by Mr. Malcolm from the elder Loadbetter for £1, wliich tlie purchaser thought at that time a higli price." The egg now at Hitchin was bought by IJeid of Doiicaster, in ^lay 1811, for £2, Gs., from Friedrich Schultz of Dresden. In connection witli this transaction, the following letter from Mr. Ifeid to Mr. II. Champley of Scarborough is interesting : — "8 SPIIINT. ('.AIUlENS, noNl'ASTKK, 26th July 1S60. "Deau Sm,— I never Imd but one egg of AIca ivipennis in my possession. I had the abovi! from Mr. iM-iwlrich Sdmltz of Drcsdi-ii in Saxony. I sold it to iMr. Tuku of York, now banker in Lomlon (now llitdiin). I rfccived it in 1811, May 23(1. I sold it for £2, Cs. to that gentleman ; it is now worth ,£'28 or £30. The year following the late " Mr. Malcolui, iu letter of 23il August 188-1. t04 THE GREAT AUK, OR GAREFOWL. * ; fi i\ Mr. Robort Dunn of Hull offored mo two fino eggs of that bird, and two skins of tho same for .£20. I did not purchase, and I do not know who got tlioni. I believe he had them from Norway. Ho has two sons in Orkney, who collect specimens of natural history. These are all the particulars I can give. — Yours truly, Hugh Rbid." Ou the 30th December 1859, Mr. W. R. Joluiston of Hackney sent to Mr. R. Champley a copy of a letter from tho late Sir William Miluer, Bart., which, however, has no date. It is written from Nuuappleton, Tadcaster. The following is what Sir William says : — " Whilst I was staying at Dusseldorf, in November 1817, I heard that there was a Great Auk's egg to be had at Perrot's, an out-of-the-way shop down by the Seine in Paris. As I was returning to England I stopped in Paris, found that the information was correct, and purchased the egg from Perrot for 200 francs (about £8, 3s. 4d.), on the 23d November 1847. It is now in my possession, and considered a very good specimen in good preservation." This egg is still in the collection at Nuuappleton (see p. 88). During May 1853 the late Lord Garvagh bought at a public sale two eggs of Aha imjHiinis that belonged to Mr. T. H. Potts, now of Oliinitahi, New Zealand, for £30 and £20. One of these has since got broken, and is understood to be in the possession of the Dowager Lady Garvagh. The other is in the collection of the late Mr. G. D. Rowley, which now belongs to his son Mr. G. Fydell Rowley, Brighton. Writing to Air. R. Champley, probably about 18G0 (though the letter bears no date), Herr Fricdrich Schultz, Dresden, says : " The egg that you (([uery Dresden; this note is in Mr. Champley's writing) possess out of Thieuemann's collection is from Paris, and was found there in the year 1815 amongst a heap of rubbish. I saw the egg at Paris in 1810, and could not recognise it for dirt as an vrnxnnis, therefore did not buy it. After my return I informed Dr. Thieneniann of it, who sent for it, cleaned it, and kept it in his collection. He paid 15 francs for it." In a postscrijit to tho letter he says : " One egg in Thieuemann's collection is valued at lOU dollars." In a letter to Mr. R. Champley, dated from Paris, 21st March 18C0, a writer whose name we have not been able to decipher, mentions as follows : — " The egg bought at Paris by the Abbu Vincelot of Ang( ■ ■ has been purchased for the collection of M. Raoul de Barace of the same town. (See p. 88.) I learned some days ago that an egg of the same bird exists at Paris in the collection of Mons. Cerveau,'- head of the department of the Minister of Public Instruction, and another at Dieppe (see p. 89), in tliat of M. Hardy, a learned ornithologist." '■ ^Ve arc unaware w)int has becume of this cgi;. THE PRICES OBTAINED FOR GREAT AUK EGGS. 105 On the 14tli April 18G0, Mons. E. P'airmaire of Paris wrote Mr. E. Champley informing him that he had obtained drawings for him of the two eggs at that time in the possession of Count de Baracd, Angers. He adds, " The egg of Alca vnpemiis with the black streaks at the thick end, was sold by me to M. de Baraco for the sum of 450 francs (about £18, 7s. 6d.) " The following curious story, which is well known to ornithologists, is so remarkable that we repeat it, and give a copy of Mr. E. Champley's original note, dated 1st June 1830 : " Mr. Bond says to E. C, Yarrell told him that walking near a village near Boulogne he met a fishwonian having some guillemot's eggs. lie asked her if she had any more ; she said she had at her house. He went, when he saw hanging over the chimney-piece four wild swans', with a Great Auk's hanging in the centre. She asked two francs each for them. He bought the Auk's and two swans'. She said her husband brought it from the fisheries. Tiie Great Auk's egg sold at Stevens' sale to Mr. Gardiner for £21 ; sold again by him to Mr. Bond, 21 Cavendish Eoad, St. John's Wood, London, for £2G. Copied by E. Champley at Mr. Bond's, by whom the history was told." On the 11th July 1865 there was sold at Stevens' Sale Eooms, London," four Great Auk eggs, that were part of the splendid set of ten eggs discovered in the Museum of the Eoyal College of Surgeons. The prices they fetched were £33, £31, 10s., and two £29 each As it may be interesting for our readers to have some further information ab )ut these eggs, we may state, that in a footnote to page 483 of " Tlie Garefowl and its Historians " (" Natural History Eeview," 18C5), I'rofessor A. Newton mentions that a few years prior to that time there was found in the Eoyal College of Surgeons, London, by the late curator, Mr. Stewart, a box with the words, " Penguin's eggs — Dr. Dick " — " when or how they came into the possession of the establishment there was no record." The box contained ten matchless Great Auk eggs, .vhicli were recognised by Professor A. Newton, and from the name Penguin being on the box he supposes them to be of American origin. This collection appears to have been imique and unrivalled, and to all interested in such remains invaluable for comparison. Tlic authorities of tlie Eoyal College were evidently unappreciative of them, for it is stated that they disposed of some without even taking casts or photographs. From a letter which Mr. J. C. Stevens, the auctioneer, wrote to Mr. E. Champley " J. C, Steveua' tjalo Uuunia, 36 King ijtreet, Cuveat CSarden. ] H io6 THE GREAT AUK, OR G A RE FOWL. ill: m ft . I n of Scarborough, dated 14th July 1865, we get the following information — " Lot 140, sold for £29, to the Eev. G. W. Braikenridge. Lot 141, £33, Mr. G. D. Rowley. Lot 142, £31, 10s., Rev. H. Burney. Lot 143, £29, Mr. Cricliton." From other sources of information we learn that thfise eggs are now in the following collections : — Lot 140, which was bought by the Rev. G. W. Braiken- ridge of Clevedon, Somerset, has been recently purchased, along with a collection of eggs from that deceased gentleman's sister, by Mr. Edward Bidwell, of Fonnereau House, Twickenham. Lot 141 is still in the late Mr. G. D. Rowley's collection at Brighton, which now belongs to his son, Mr. G. Fydell Rowley. Lot 142 is still in the possession of the Rev. Henry Burney, Wayendon Rectory, by Woburn, Bedfordshire. Lot 143, which was purchased by Mr. Crichton, is now in the possession of his brother-in-law. Lord Lilford. In addition to the above four eggs, of which we have given the sale prices, other three from the same collection "^ere sold privately to Mr. R. Champley of Scarborough, through the agency of Professor Flower, so the Royal College is now only in possession of three eggs of the ten that belonged to it. On the 27th April 18G9 there was sold, at Stevens' Sale Rooms, the egg that belonged to Dr. Troughton, which was purchased by the late Lord Garvagh for £64. The egg is now at Brighton. After Lord Garvagh 's death his executors sold by private bargain this egg, and also one of the eggs which his lordship had bought in 1853 from Mr. T. H. Potts, to the late Mr. G. 1). Rowley, and at the same time offered the fragments of the other egg purchased in 1853; but Mr. Rowley did not buy the broken specimen, which is probably .still in the possession of the Dowager Lady Garvagh. We have heard, but we cannot be certain of the truth of the statement, that this egg got broken through the carelessness of a footman, and that it was with the object of replacing its loss that Lord Garvagh, in 1869, purchased the egg tliat had belonged to Dr. Troughton. With regard to how this egg came into the possession of Dr. Troughton, the following letter is interesting : — "Coventry, Slh Feb. 1861. '' Dear .Snt, — I send you the driiwin;,' I promisod yon a long loiij,' tiiiio af,'o. It is of tliu exact dimensions of the original egg of tho Great Aiik in my jios.session, wliicli I pur- cliiiseil of Mr. Bartlett, ten years ago, I tliink, witli the bird. Tiie markings are i^retty faitlifully made, considering it was my only attempt at egg drawing. I hope it will reach you safely. — I am, dear sir, yours faithfully, Nath. Tkouohton." " R. Champlby, Esq., Scarborougli.'' f INFORMATION REGARDING GREAT AUK EGGS. 107 In the Museum of Science and Art, Edinburgh, are preserved the two magni- ficent specimens of the eggs of Alca impennis, of whicli, through the facilities kindly afforded us by the autliorities of the Museum, we are able to give coloured plates at page 108. Nothing is really known as to the origin of these eggs excep'. what we mention at page 87 ; but it is probable that they originally came from Newfoundland, as on one of them (No. 1 on plate) is the word " G. Pingoain." The egg. No. 2 on plate, has been at some time or other suspended by a string, as Mr. John Gibson informs us that on one occasion he was examin- ing it when he thought he observed something inside, and with a little care at last managed to pull out through one of the holes in the shell a piece of string, to which was attached transversely a small stick. Both these eggs are blown at the ends. " Professor A. Newton (in Ibis, 1801, p. 387) mentions that Mr. Scales saw several eggs of Alca impennis in the hands of Mons. Dufresne in Paris about 1816 or 1817, and that Mr. Scales got an egg from him reported to have come from the Orkney Islands, wiiich, however, Professor Newton thinks extremely unlikely, and hints tliat possibly the eggs may have been obtained at the Geir- fuglasker about 1810, when it was rumoured a French vessel had visited the skerry." It is not mentioned when Mr. Scales got the egg from Dufresne, but if it was in 1816 or 1817, this egg could not have been part of the spoils of an expedition to the skerry in 1819. It is quite possible that Dufresne may have obtained the eggs in his possession from various sources, but this appears to us unlikely, and the eggs now in Edinburgh are evidently of American origin. We have heard doubt expressed as to whether the eg^s in the Edinburgh Museum ever belonged to the Dufresne collection ; but we think there can be no reasonnble doubt upon that point, as they have always been associated with it in the Museum, and there has never been, so far as we know, the slightest suggestion as to any other source from which they could come, and the foregoing statement makes it evident that Dufiesne was possessed of some eggs of Alca impennis. These, in the natural course of events, would be sold along with the other objects that formed iiis natural history collection. It has been stated by Professor Wh. lilasius in " Zur Geschichte der Ueberreste von Alca impennis " (page 157), " that the pggs were in the Edinburgh Museum quite unknown for fifty years." That is, however, a mistake, as tiie present curator of the Museum of Science and Art, Mr. Alexander Galletly, informs us that they were quite well known to be eggs of the Great Auk by the late Mr. James 15oyd Davies, whei^ !. '-ad charge of the Natural History Colle^ and also to other persons. A Dim , time remains of io8 THE GREAT AUK, OR GAREFOWL. I Alca impennis were not so valuable or so much prized, and probably it was not thought of importance to publish the fact of their existence so as to record them. When Major H. W. Fielden became aware of these eggs being in Edinburgh, he ascertained the particulars, which enabled him to publish a short account of them {Ibis, 1869, pp. 358-3G0). Some doubt has existed as to how the Dufresne collection was acquired by the Edinburgh University ; but the following communication, dated 29th November IBB'l, which we received from Professor W. Turner, who holds the chair of Anatomy, makes the transaction quite clear : " The eggs of Alca impennis in the Museum of Science and Art formed a part of the collection of M. Dufresne of the Jardin des Plantes, Paris, which was purchased in 1819 by members of the Senatus of the University. It was afterwards acquired by the Senatus as a body, and was transferred by them to the Science and Art Department in 1855. The Dufresne collection consisted of about 18,000 specimens, and con- tained IGOO birds, and 600 eggs of birds, and many of the specimens were of great value." There is at Breslau in Germany an egg which belongs to Count Eodern, and which is referred to at page 25 of Appendix ; but as there are different opinions about its past history, we may mention what Mr. R. Chaiupley says on the sub- ject He writes us under the date 23d September 1881: "In reply to your letter respecting the Breslau egg, I find the following memorandum, dated January 1861, from Mr. Pi. Mechlenburg, Fleiisburg. Mechlenburg sent me a drawing of the egg formerly in his possession, which he obtained direct from Iceland in 1830. He sold it to a dealer in Breslau. I copied the drawing, which I now have, and it is endorsed with the above particulars. I believe in the ' Fiir Ornithologie ' '* of that year there is reference also to the same egg — this is twenty-four years ago. I don't know whether it has changed hands ; this is the authority I have for the egg at Breslau." On the 25th September Mr. Champley writes us : " 1 purchased a bird and egg of Mechlenburg, and at the same time he sent me the drawing of an egg he had sold at Breslau, which I cojjied." In the same letter Mr. Champley informs us that he has photographs, engravings, drawings, sketches, &c., of, he thinks, forty-four eggs, but not the two in the Edinburgh Museum." In 1865, Professor W. Preyer, of Jena, mentioned an egg that existed in the '* A German publication, " Journal fiir Ornithologie.' i ; w 1 J I ';# N°l. t t'! 1 ill " : \ 1 EOO OF THR GrFAT AuK OK G AR PiFOVV u f A lea. I rn pen f a Li nn i Preserved in the Nal'^ral history Collection Museum o) Science and Art, KANMI . uvwritftt J f • f-h I" I lif irj - i « .1 1 _ 1 : ■!| - ( ! wm ill r j A^ ^ -— ■;r^'T?c'!^.rr??i;?j^a.ei*B„ ■>^ ',** N- >- Egg ok the Grfat Auk or Garefowl (Alca. impennis Lmn.; Preserved in the Natural History Collection Museum of Science and Art, EDINBURGH, KAHIK i' i.'JI|l»k'WOII 'I .'I I \k ^. V. f ''V i •■ I ' m 3IXT THE PRICES OBTAINED FOR GREAT AUK EGGS. 109 Manchester Museum, but it appears that this e,g has now been lost, and also a stuned skin of Men impmnis that was purchased along with the e-- for £13 (Nee page 95.) "" othei natural history objects was advertised to take place at Dowell's Auction looms, Edinburgh, an.l among others who received a catalogue was Mr. Small b.rd-stuffer, C.eorge Street, in that city. He visited the auction rooms previous' the sale and examined the collection, and was struck with the appearance of two eggs marked '' Penguin." At the sale he bought the lot which comprised the small collection of eggs for £1, ]2s. ^'"^ *^^° ;'«S^ having been examined by experts, were satisfactorily proved to be those of the Garefowl, and were sent to Stevens's Auction llooms, London during the following J.ily, when they were sold separately, fetching £100 and' £107 2s., the purchaser being Lord Lilford. It is believed that these specimens are of American origin, and that they were obtained by a Dr. Lister, a siLeon in Uie army, and presented by him to his brother, Mr. Andrew Lister, wlio\ad a natural history collection, and lived in Edinburgh. On his decease they became the property of another brother, Mr. John Lister, advocate, who sold them to Mr .Fohu Murray, S.SC in whose possession they remained about twenty-five years and at us death fe 1 into the hands of Mr. W. C. Murray, W.S., by whose instrue- tions hey were sold at Messrs. DowelFs. The story of these L eg^s, which probably had been in Edinburgh nearly sixty years previous to their re-deuti ca- n, shows tha we need not yet lose all hope of a few stray remains of the Garefowl being brought to light in the future. ^'ff the autumn of 1883 Lord Lilford bouglit another egg from Mr. G. under £140 Ihisegg was obtained from the Natural History Museum, Lausanne see Appendix p. 28^ In a letter, dated Cth February ml Mens. Victor ^1 of Gneva informs Mr. It. Champley that he intends shortly to write a paper ogarding this egg. On the 1st March 1885 Mons. Victor Fatio again writL the same correspondent, " The em r No o ),,,„ ,„>„„ ,,•_ , , , " to Mr r A vLl T 1 , " y H i I 10 THE GREAT AUK, OR G A RE FOWL. Lord Lilforil has liituly succeuduJ in puruliasiny au egg iu Dorsetshiro, wliich is stated to be unrecorded, and we hear his lordship intends to publish parti- culars. The following infornialiou regarding this spuciiuen was communicated by Professor Wh. IJlasius to tiio meeting of the Natural History Societies of Germany at Magdeburg on :i2d September 1884. Ho said, "Professor A. Newton of Cambridge informed him, on 19th August 1884, that an unrecorded egg iiad been discovered in Dorsetsliire, wliero it had been in the possession of a family for many years, and is believed to have come originally from Newfound- land. It is now in tlie collection of Lord Lilford, and Mr. G. A. Frank of London informed Professor Dlasius that his lordship paid £50 for it." Wo may add, what probably Professor IJlasius was unaware of, tiiat this egg was offered iu the first instance to the authorities at the British Museum, but as they did not wish it, Mr. K. Bowiiler Sharpe brought it under the notice of Lord Lilford, who succeeded iu acquiring it from a Mr. Hill, who was its owner. At the Magdeburg meeting Professor Wh. Plasius also stated that two eggs said to have been in St. Petersburg are not now known there. The learned Pro- fessor narrated that during his visit to Kussia last spring (1884) ho made every inquiry for Alcine remains in Warsaw, Kielf, CharkolV, Moscow, and St. Peters- burg, but found none with the exception of the skin in St. Petersburg, which he concludes is tiie only remains of Aim impennis in the great Kussian empire. As we have gone into considerable detail regarding the value of the eggs of the Great Auk, it may not be out of place that we should refer to another standard of value besides rarity, by which the great masses of the public who never heard of such a bird are likely to estimate their worth. Mr. K. Scot Skirviug tells an amusing story that well illustrates this. In 1880, when the egL;s that were sold at Dowell's Kooms, and purchased by Mr. Small, were discovered to be those of Aka impenrds, it caused some excite- ment among ornitholugists, and was the subject of general conversation. Mr. Skirviug happened to mention the discovery to a popular Edinburgh minister and afterwards to a well-known newspaper reporter, and as neither of them had ever heard of such a bird as the Great Auk, he explained to them as well as was possible in a few words what it was like, and what made it of special interest. Both gentlemen gave him the same look of pity, and curiously enough expressed themselves iu exactly the same terras. They said, " But the eggs are of no use, they will never hatch." :4W— ^ RUMOURS REGARDING GREAT AUK EGGS. t II f Rumours rkoahding Remains. When the announcement was made in the magazines and newspapers that two esKs of the Great Auk had been discovered in a small private collection of cgRs purchased at a public sale in Kdinl.ursh for a mere trifle, it made the numerous lioarders of natural history objects bo^-iu to examine the collections of birds' egqs they possessed, which in many instances had been long put aside and forgotten. When the high prices which the eggs fetched in London became known, there was a rush made to dealers in natural history wares asking for information, and remarkable stories were told of how Gr-at Auk eggs had been given away by mistake through their value not being understood. Much labour was expended in tracing such gifta to their possessors, in the hope they might be induced to pan with them, but in every instance that we know of, it turned out that the e Idem, p. 107. i w 1) THE GREAT AUK, OR GAREFOWL. proof that more than two of these reached Edinburgh. Besides, it is to be re- uieuibered that the history of the eggs bought by Mr. Small lias been traced baciv to about the time that the Dufresuo collection fouud its way to the Modern Athens.'" There is every reason to believe these eggs came direct from New- foundland to Britain, so the rumour seems to be without any good foundation. ' I 1 I 'hi if Imitation Remains. Collectors will do well to be on their guard against purchasing imitations of Great Auk remains, which unprincipled persons have been known to prepare with great skill, the counterfeit eggs being clever copies of those that are genuine.'^ It is only right, however, that we should mention that several well-known col- lectors have either manufactured, or had prepared for their own gratilication, imitatious of the skins or eggs of the Great Auk, which are less costly than the veritable article ; and the eggs, being exact copies of specimens in various collec- tions, have a certain scieutillc value. A writer who refers to this subject, says, " The best casts are those by ilr Hancock, who can jjruduce a drawer full to all appearance of veritable Great Auk's eggs: in reality thuy are all shams but one, but the resemblance is so perfect, that without touching, it is almost impossible to say which is the real egg. It took Mr. Hancock sixteen days to colour his l)]aster imitation of the egg that belonged to the late (thirteenth) Karl Derby, which was so foul when he received it that it had to be washed." '* Mr. II. E. Dresser says, " The eggs of the Great Auk measure about l^fj inches by 2|5 inches." However, it is well to bear in mind that the eggs vary in si/e and markings, us may be seen by the figures we give at pa:^e 1U8, which are exactly the natural size, and give a good idea of the usual markings. "Mr. .Masters, of Norwich, possesses an imitation (Jreat Auk, which, I am told, is very good ; it was nuide by his serviint, Samuel Bligh — tlie bill is of wood. Mr. I'ructor, of Durham University Museum, has also manufactured a Great Auk (piite recently. The black parts are 15runnick's Guillemot, and the breast is a Northern Diver's ; and this lictitious birJ now in my possession, contains a few feathers of the real Great Auk in the vegi'in of the neck." '''' »8 Hem, p. 108. '" " rriioeeiliiiBs of Itiiyiil .Sooii'ty, K.liiihmsli," 1.S7!) Sl», \k (WJ. Mr. U. Gray. " "liinlHDf liuroiie." Blr. 11. K. Dresser, vol. viii. p. W*\. '» "Tlie Zuulugist," April ISd'.l, p. 1(;43 ; Sir. J. 11. Ciuniuy, F.iJ.S. INFORMATION REGARDING IMITATION REMAINS. "3 In tho Diirnistadt Museum there is an imitation specimen, the only part tliat is genuine being tiie head ; but it must be a very good representation of nature, as Baron Edmond de .Selys-Longchamps, Liege, writes concerning it in a " Note sur un Voyage Scientifique " in tlie " Comptes rendus des Suairces de ia Socidte Entomologique de Belgique, 187G," 7th October, p. Ixx. : " A splendid Aka impcnnk, witli tlie secondary wings well fringed with white, as in one of the speci- mens in the British Museum." Tlie baron evidetitly must have seen it at a distance tlirough the glass of the case, but still, it shows that this imitation specimen must be a very clever production to deceive such an authority on Alcine remains.'-" As it was desirable, if possible, to obtain further information as to the materials of which this imitation specimen was constructed, we wrote to Professor G. von Kocii, and also to Professor W. Bhisius, and apparently the latter had also written to Professor CI. von Koch, for, on the 3d September 1881, he wrote mfornnng Professor W. Blasius as follows : "There remains part of the skull and one half of the bill, which are genuine. The skin, which is entirelv imitation, is constructed with feathers of Aim tarda, Cidipnh,,, &c. Professor Koch opened up the head and some of the parts of the (ironischeide) hornsheath, and found the bones filled up with agave pulp mixed with wax, with which, also, the whole bill was covered. The skull probably proceeded from the old cabinet of Natural History, where it had once belonged to a stuffed Aka impmnis. Kaup caused the genuine skull to be covered over with wax, and tiien stuck over with sham feathers, and proceeded in this way until the complete bird was formed." On the ;ilst December 1881 Professor G. von Koch writes us as follows : " The specimen of the Alca impcnnis in the Museum has been opened up by my directi '^^Z^^'''''\'^^^'''' ^^-''0 •'•'^iled principally from Havre de Grace, and who visited ^ew oundland to fish on the Banks, depended greativ upon the Penguin or Great Auk for a supply of food. - i A Mr. Anthonie Parkhurst writes a letter from liristow, dated 15th Novem- ber 1 0.8, to Mr. Ilichard Hakluyt, of the Inner Temple,^ in which he says: ne Frmchnni that fish ueere the grand buie doc brinff small store of flesh w^th them, hut uctuall themselves aUea„s wUh these hirdesr There is no reason to suppose that they were able to keep tiie bodies i.i a fresh state for any ength o tnne, and from the notices we find in various works it would seem that the usual and generally adopted method was to salt them. This saltin. was a simple process, if we take the following statement made by Mr. Edward Haies.^as correct: It ts stated the Frenehmea harrell them vp with salt." This mode of curing was evidently continued as long as any Garefowls could be obtained and was practised in Europe* as well as America. A Mr. George Gartwright, who writes in his diary ^' about Funk Island and he enguins, under the date Tuesday, 5tii July 1785, says-" The birds which the people bring from thence tliey salt and eat in lieu of salted pork." It was > ;;"»|'l«yt;« yoynge.,,- vnl. iii., pp. 172, 17;,. i„„„,„ j,;„„ iiiiKiiiyt.s Vovnircs vol iii n 701 »'i?,. * e yeere of „„,• I,or,l l,5H;i, by si,- Ilunn.hrev ( ill.ert knl' 1 ," '"■{'^'^^ '!'« '''''''» *•••«••->'>?. attempted in the gnu w it6 THE GREAT AUK, OR GAREFOWL. lip' m m not long after tliis time that the Garefowl became exceedingly scarce in the neighbourhood of Xewfoundhuul ; and no wonder, for tlie writer we have just referred to, on the same page from wliich we quote, states that " the poor inliabi- tants of Fogo Island make voyages there to load with birds and eggs. When the water is smooth they make their shallop fast to the shore, lay their gang- boards I'roin the gunwale of the boat to the rocks, and then drive as many I'enguins on board as she will hold, for the wings of these birds being remarkably short they cannot fly. But it has been customary of late years for several crews (if men to live all summer on that island, for the sole purpose of killing birds for the sake of their feathers : the destruction which they have made is incredible. If a stop is not soon put to that practice the whole breed will be diminished to almost nothing, particularly the Penguins, for this is now the only island they have left to breed upon." As the result has proved, what Mr. (leorgo Cartwright foresaw in 178r) has unfortunately been accomplished more thoroughly than probably he thought possible. We have spoken of the practice of salting the Great Auk being practised in Europe, and we tind it referred to in connection with the descent made upon the Geirfuglasker off Iveykjanes, Iceland, by the crew of the schooner Faroe during July 181:3, and it is stated that when they reached Ileykjavik they had twenty-four (iarefowls on board, besides munbers that had been salted.* It is, however, to the American locality we have to go for most ot our information regardiug the uses to which the Garefowl was put, as the birds in early times occurred there in such numbers. In the year ]~>[\) one of the early voyagers mentions the loading of his two vessels with dead I'enguins in less than half-an-huiir, and states that besides what were eaten fresh there were four or five tons of them to put in salt. We can easily imagine that these early voyagers would use as many of the birds as possible in a fresh stale, as these would afford tlii'm a pleasant ami healthful change of diet after the salted lood they would re(iuiie to live on when crossing the Atlantic, which took much longer then than it does now. We must remember, too, that the ships were sometimes for long periods fishing on the banks to get a cargo, from which circumstance fresh food became almost a necessity. It ap})ears that there were diflerent ways of preparing the bodies of the birds * Mr. J. WoUey's "Researches," Ibis, vul. iii., 18(il, p|i. 3S4-38(i. GAREFOWL ECONOMICS. 117 uitlier for eating fresh or salting ; but this probably was not so much from any n tliat owing to the violent liiist that runs betwicn the niainlanil and these islands it would be necessary to visit the (Jeirfu^lasker in a large boat; but from what is known of the numbers of the (Jarefowl that existed at this jplace about the middle of last century the cargo of eggs to which lie refers must have been a very small one, unless we suppose there is a mistake in the Knglish translation of his work (which is not to be depended upon). It is quite probable, if ilorrelMiw means a full cargo of sea-birds eggs, that his statement is correct. (See p. I'J.) I ST. KILDA. 119 body. Besides using its flesh and egg they appear to have utilised it8 stomach, which, from being move capacious than that of any other fowl frequenting the island, was most suitable for their purpose. We feel sure it would puzzle most of our readers what that purpose could be ; but wo shall give, in his own words, the narration of the author to whom we are indebted for the information : " " ////■/«,— Tlio island of Hirta of all tho isles about Scotland lyetli fartliost out into the sea, is very mountainous, and not accessible but by climbing. It is incredible what number of fowls frequent the rocks tliere ; so far as we can see tho sea is covered with tliem, and when they rise they darken the sky, they are so numerous ; they are ordinarily catclied tliis way : a man lies upon liis back witli a long jwle in his hand, and knocketh them down as tliey fly over him. Tliere bo many sorts of these fowls ; some of them of strange shapes, among which there is one they call the Gare-fowl, which is bigger than any goose, and hatli eggs as big almost as those of tlie ostrich. Among tlie other" commodities they export out of the island this is none of tlu' meanest. " Tliey take the fat of these fowls tiiat frequent the island and stulf tlie stomach of tliis fowl with it, wliich they preserve by hanging it near the chimney, where it is dried with the smoke, and tlicy sell it to their neighbours on the Continent as a remedy they use for nches and jjains." ■" The worthy knight who gave tiiis narration to the autiu)r we havo (juoted evidently had vague ideas of the size of the egg of the Great Auk ; but our author appears to iiave been aware or this, for in a later work " he places tlie Great Auk among birds of wliicli he desires a more accurate description. We give the writer's own words — Caput VII. _ "I3e avibus ciuilnisdam apud nos quae incerta; classes sunt, ([uarum proinde descriii- tiones accuratus dcsidoro. "Avis Garo dicta, Corvo Marino Similis, ovo maximo." With regard to tlio other matters, however, ho seems to liave been pretty correct ; and we get some further information about tiie use of the fat or giben from Martin,'- which is interesting. He tells us that, " Tiiis nibai is by daily experience found to be a sovereign remedy for tlie healing of green wounds," .'cc. M-r/ ".^",t°°T"''.'' ',.""■•" "'"' '^""" "'™" *" •'^''' ""''"•'^ '^'"'''"''' ''>■ ""■ '■"■■'' H-Ki'ter, Sir (icor-e M Konzie of l,ul,at, W quoto fn,m John I'inkcrton's "(iwieral CoHectimis .,f V„v.gc.s"iml Travels • vol 111. 4to., I.uiuloii, ISO!). '» Sil)l.;ail, MSS., y;!, :i, 2. .\clvociite»' Liluary, Kcliiilmr(;li. " " Do Aiiimulilms .Scotiiu." I'Miiiljiiigli. ll)H4. p. L'i '= "A V,iy:ige to .St. Kililii,"l)y .M, Martin, l(i!l,s. mm^ I I" 130 GREAT AUK, OR GAREFOWL. SSH &c. " They boil the sea plants, (hilar and slake, melting the gibcu upon them instead of butter. . . . They use this j^iben with their fish, and it is become the common vehicle that conveys nil their food down their throats." It appears that the '^Ihcn was used as a universal medicine, and that it was composed of only the fat of their sea-fowls, which Wfis stuffed into the stomach of a bird. In olden time wlien tlie Garefowl were plentiful it was that internal organ of these birds which was generally used, but in later times it became cus- tomary to use the same organ of the Solan (loose or Gannet, which remains the practice until now. The St. Kildeans find a use for almost every part of the birds they kill, and, as mentioned (at page 70), they were in the habit of employing, along with the remains of other sea-fowl, the bones of the Great Auk for mimuring the portion of the island that they cultivate. The time has passed for ever when the Great Auk or its remains can form an important item in the trade of nations ; but the skins, bones, and eggs of this bird, whicli have realised large prices within recent years, will make for it a greater celebrity in the future, from the immense value that attaches to them ; and weight for weigiit tliey will exceed by many times the worth of even gold. The craze of private individuals to hoard up objects and remains which can only be accessible to students in the public museums of our great cities, is to be sincerely regretted ; and it is to be hoped that the possessors of the remains of the Great Auk, seeing such remains are so scarce, will show their public spirit by becoming benefactors, and placing them where they can be seen and appreciated by the poor naturalist or arclueologist, as well as the rich commoner or noble lord.'' " In those pages wo several times have the pleasure of inentioniii); donations of Aleine remains to our museums, but we may well call special attention to the groat generosity displayed by John Hancock, Ksi|., to the Museum Newoastle-on-Tyne. His good example is worthy of being followed. ( '2' ) CHAPTER XIII. SOME NAMES BY WHICH THE GREAT AUK HAS BEEN KNOWN. TN almost every country inhabited by tlie Great Auk it appears to have had J- diflerent names, or a different mode of pronouncing and spelling the names was adopted, and in several instances it had more than one name hi the same locality. This has rendered it somewhat difficult for writers who have written about the bird to note all its occurrences, as they have not always been able to reco-nise it under strange names with which they were unfamiliar. It seems generally to have received its appellation from some peculiarity, or habit of life, whicli became the distinguishing feature, by which it was known to the human inhabitants of the lands the bird visited ; and in giving it a name they seem to have sought to use expressions that referred to this distinguishing peculiarity or habit. For instance, the Gre^jnlander called it Esarokitsok,' or tiie Little Wing, from tile smallness of its wings and its being unable to fly. It is rather remark- able that though the name Geirlugl is of Scandinavian origin, it does not appear that the Norwegians ever had a name for Alca impennis that is attested on undoubted authority. The name Geirfwjla occurs in " Tiie Old Laws of Norway," = but clearly refers to the Geirfulkar {Fulco gyrfuko, Linn.), the Gyr-talcon.'' In answer to our inquiries, Herr A. Lorange, of Bergen, kindly informs us " that the diflerent records of the occurrence of the Geirlugl at the Norwegian coasts during tiie last two centuries are not to be relied upon, and that not Tven in liistoric times has the Geirlugl been seen tliere by any naturalist, or mentioned m any authentic account." This is the statement of a competent autliority ; and we might pass from further consideration of the Norwegian names for Alca im- \ "F;"";' llroclamlica." Otl.o Kubricius " Hafnia; et Leipsa,," 1780, p. 82. Cnu>tz'» Greenl. vol. i. p. 82. (various ."''.lin^r' "'"''' ' ^ "' ^''^''"'' "'"^ ^' '^^ """"''• <-''"'^''"""'' ^''^<^' -»'• «• I ■>' I ti„„l!u>''r'"r';;''"''''' "'' f "'"'' !''■'• ^^''"^'''"' '^"■'•-■■"'"■"P «-M.resses the opinio,, that Gcir i„ this connec. SiTi^L's ^;::t:^r ■ ^thrt""^""' --''"' ^"' '- '-'-' ''"- ^'-^ ^''" ^-' ^^'-- - --•^- -^^ '» ' ;i 122 THE GREAT AUK, OR GAREFOWL. m 1 i. 1# im n ■'■ pennis, if it wore not that several names said to have been used in Norway aro mentioned by different writers, and it is necessary to refer to their statements. H. Striini * says, — " Anglemai^er is the name ;,'iven to a black and white sea-bird, in form rcscmblini/ the Alcii, but twice as largo, and with a longer beak. It is distinguished by a white spot near each eye and by its very short wings, so tiiat it sliould certainly be called Pingwin, or Anser Magellanicus autliorum. I do not remember to have seen this bird cited by Norwegian authors, with tlie excep- tion of Lucas Debes, who calls it Pingwin or Goifugl, and says that it is rare at the Faroe Islands. (Professor Stceustrup says, ' Here begins confusion with Harelda glncialis, the name of which is Amjlamahi:') On tiie otiier hand, it is tolerably common with us. It appears in the bays as well as on the high sea in large numbers at the beginning of the spring fishing, crying continually, ' aangla,' as if to tell the fishers to get ready their auf/lcr (honks), and that is why our fishers have called it Angleniager." M. Victor Fatio ^ says, " According to Strom, it (Aim i )ii2>e II n is) was called Angleniager in the neighbourhood of Sondmore ; but I ought to remark that in this transference of the name from the Alca tarda (IJazorbill) (sic, should be Ilavetlen or ILmida ghwialis) to the Aim impennis (Great Auk), there is without doubt more than one mistake." Professor A. Newton translates AnijlciiKujfi; book-maker (literally Angle- maker), but expresses doubt as to its being a name for the Alca impcnnis, and is inclined to sujipose it to have been applied to the Harelda ijlaciidis (Longtailed Duck) of modern naturalists. * Brunnicli^ gives the name llrilhfiKjl iov the (Iroat Auk, which means the spectacle bird, or the bird with tlie glasses, from the white patches on each side of the head in front of the eyes. Tiiis name was never known in Norway, and appears to have been invented by the Danish naturalist himself. Herr I'reyer* says, "Brillefugl is a Danisli name for tiie Cireat Auk." This is also a mistake, unless he merely nuiins it was a name used by P>runnieli. Pennant" mentions Ficcrt as a Norwegian name fur Alca itnpcnnis upon the authority of a Dr. fEdman, but evidently this gentleman has been under a misap- prehension regarding the use of the name. The nearest approach to the word * 11. strum, "Pliysii'al iiml Kooiioriiic:!! Di'si'iiptioii of Honiliiiure (iioar Aiilesund, west cuast of N'orway). ill the I)(-i)artiiieiit of )iLTj;eii, X(jr\vuy,'' priiiteil at Soroe in Dc-nntaik. 1"(»2, vol. i. p. 221. ' " IlullL'tin (le la Smictu Oinithologiciue Suissi'," toiiiu ii. 1" jiart, p. V> (footnote). « "Natural History Heview," lS(),j, pp. ItiK, 470. ' "Arct. Zool." vol. ii. p. 220. * "Ueher I'lautua IrnpciiiiiB," p. 17. ' I'eiinaut » " liritisli Zoology," vol. ii, |i. 14(j. THE NAME GAREFOWL. 123 that we have been able to find in either Icelandic, Norse, or Danish diction- aries, are the Danisii words Yyxvt, imlitnm, and fjicrte, ^)«(^;t ; but some writers liave supposed that the name has been derived from Flank, meaning simpleton, sot, silly man. In the course of our search for further information regarding the use of Fiwrt, we discovered in an old Norse dictionary (in which, "it is stated, are " shortly set forth various Norse glosses of daily phrases, the wonderful native' names of fishes, birds, and beasts, along witli various proverbs," &c.) the word Fimrskiit, or in modern spelling FjcvrslAJt, which is said to be the name given to some small grey birds that run forward with the ebb in the expectation "of feed- ing themselves on the sea-weed that lies on the rocks. They obtain their name from their dirtying of the bea As we were anxious to get all possible information upon the subject, we communicated with Ilerr A. Lorange of Bergen, who, under the date of 12th March 1881, kindly informed us. "that Dr. CEdman was probably Johan (Edman, author of ' Chomgrapliia Balmensis,' published at Stockholm in 174G, who was not a critical man. He was a Swede, and not a Norwegian. His statement that Fiiert at any time has been a Norwegian name for the Geirfwjl is a complete niisunderstanding. From Strom '" we learn that the name Fjiert, or r.aare= Fja-rt, on the coast sumdinus is given to the Alca alle, Linn., the Merynlus alh, Kay (Little Auk). This designation is not now known even in Sondmore. In Tontoppidau" the same bird is called Bocfjwr. • FJwir'—iha.t part of a shore where the tide water is going up. Fiante is a misreading. FJarsIddt, mentioned by you from an old dictionary, is the fisherman's expression for the Trini/a maritinia (Purple Sandpiper). This dictionary of Christen Jenson, priest at Askevold near Bergen, is a lihcr rurimmus, and was printed (by Halm) at Copenhagen in IGIG." The " Garefowl," or " Gairfowl," is the name by which the natives of tliu Western Isles of Scotland must have known it for many centuries, and is the name used by Professor Newton in his invaluable papers regarding the history of the bird. AVe think there can be no doubt that this name is of Scandinavian origin, and that it is part of the rich legacy of natiios of places, and things animate an.l inanimate, left by the Scandinavian invaders of Western Scotland, who, under the names of Danar or Danes, Dubh Guills, or Black-haired Gaills, Finn Gaills, or White-haired (Jaills— the latter supposed to be Norwegians, and, perhaps, also '» " Pl.ysicl an,l KcuimniicMl Desc.ii.tioii of Suiuln.iire " (near Aalcsuiul, west coast of Norway), ,.rintt..l at Some in Dciiinink, 17(iL'. •' ' " " Natiinil History of Norway." Copeiiliagi-n, i;".;;. 124 THE GREAT AUK, OR GAREFOWL. % Swedes — bcf,'nn their depredations about tlie year 79 1 A.n. ; and, after lonf^ exercis- ing by their raids a terrorism over the Celtic population of the I.sles, and especially over the inhabitants of the ecclesiastical settlements (these being the chief objects of their cupidity), ultimately settled down into the possession of the Hebrides as conquerors, occupying that position until, in July 1206, these islands once more returned to the Scottish rule. Thoui,'h it is almost certain tliat this name came to us from the Scandinavians, it is not quite so easily determined from what par- ticular habit or appearance of tlio bird they gave it the name; and on this point there is a difference of opinion, though all seem to be at one in the buliof that such variations as Goirfugel,''"' fiarfogel,''' Goifugl," Avis (Sarfahl," Gaarfuglur,'* Gyr-v-Gcyrfugl," Gorfuglir,'" Garfowl,'" (Jeyer-fogel.^" Gairfowl,"' Garefowl," Avis-Gare," Gare-Fowle,'* Cioifugol ,'■'■' Geirfugl,'" Geir," Gar-fowl/" Goirfugl and Gaarfugl,*' are all derived from one common origin. The late Dr. John Alexander Smith, in his first paper on tlie Great Auk,'" states that Geyrfugl is the name by which the bird is known in Iceiaiul. He says, " Geyr is the Icelandic for a spear," and goes on to state that the terms Gcyr-fwjP^ may mean the bird with tlie spear-like beak, or it may refer to the lj!f i| I-. IM' '2 Onirfugel. " Kxoticoriim Dcci'in Liliri," CaroliiB ('hmius. Lcyden, 1605, p. ;M17. " Garfogel. " Debcs Fiuroa Ki'Heriitii," piihlislieil in l('i7.1. '♦ Goifuijl. " Synopsis Metliwlicii Avium et Pisoiuni," .I(jlin Kay, Londun, 1713. " Aiit GarfiM. " Burtliol. Act," p. Ill, referred to by Ciirolus Mnn.iius. " Fiiunu .Snecicii, I.ugduni." BntRvorum, 174!W, p. 27. •^ Garefou;!. " A Description of St. Kilda," by the Kev. Alexander liuchan, minister there from 1708 to about 17.S0, published by his daughter, 1773. Slost of the book is made up of e.xtracts from Martina "Voyage," 1C'J8. '^ Avis-Garc "Pe .Animalibus Scotia'," .Sir Robert SIblmld. Kdinburgh, 1(184, vol. ii. p. 'J*.'. ^* Gare-Foirle. .Sibbahl, MSS. , Xi, 3, 2. Advocates' Library, Kdinbuigh. '•" Giii/iKiel. "Synopsis Methodica Avium et riscium,'" by .lobn Kay. London, 1713. *i Geirfiujl. " rroce.dings Royal Society, Edinburgh." 1,H7!I 80, p. 080. " Geir. Ihitl. ^ fliir-finrl. "Transactions of Zmdogical .Society." Lomlon, v(d. v. p|>. 317 XV>. ** Gnir/inil nn<\ (/iiiir/iiiil. " T'eber I'lautus impennis," von William rreyer, Heidellierg. I.HI12, p. 17. so << I'roceeilings of the Scottish Society of Antiquaries," vid, xiii. p. 83. " Herr A. Lorange, of I!ergen,in a letter to us, datitd 12lli March 18,S4, says, " (leiir in the old N'orthern (Icelandic) means = a pointed speir." In Anglo-Saxon the wonl Gnf has the same meaning. We inay mention that Gai was the Peltic name for a spear. That the upper mandil>lt^ Ijad some resemblance to a spear-head maybe gleaned from the curious mistake that i.s referred to at page 45. DERIVATION OF THE NAME GEIRFUGL. i»S extmoidiiiary swiftness of the bird in the water being like the flight of it sjiear. I'rofussor Steenstrup agrees with Dr. Smitli in thinking that the wonl Geyr-fiKjl, or more properly Giirfujl, muans the bird witli the spear-like beak, but tiiinks it improbable that tlio name refers to the extraordinary swiftness of the bird in the water, being like the flight of a spear. He believes the name is derived from its elongated spcar-Iike or sword-like bill, in comparison with that of the Itazorbill {Aim tonla, Linn.) Tlie learned Professor has been kind enough to furnish us with the following remarks : — " Tiie word Gcir, Gcjjr, or Geyerr in the name Gdr/iud {Aim impmnis, L.), is certainly of Icelandic or Scandi- navian origin, and it signifies a spear or spear-like weapon or instrument, liut the word Gcir in Geirfugl when the name refers to Falco albicans, otherwise Falco gyrfalco, is of Latin origin, and derives from yyms, gyrare, to make whirls or circular evolutions in tlie air. As a technical expression it has come from the old falconry-art, and has been adopted into " The Old Laws of Norway " (see p. 121). The name Geirfugl when applied to Aim hnpennis, L., is clearly Scandinavian (Icelandic). It means the Auk witii the longer spear-like bill, just as you in English name the Little Auk, Razorbill {Aim tonla, Linn.)! and as I in Krisavik (South Iceland) in 1839 and 1840 always got the Uri'a truilc (or hringvia), with the longer and more pointed 1 a, under the name Geirnefia, and the Urm Brunnkhcr with the shorter bill under the name Stuttnrfia, meaning in English Spmrbill and Shwthill. As a parallel I may remind you of the Icelandic and English names of Esox hdone {vul!jariti)—in Icelandic Geir-sil ; in English Gatf.sh, Garpike, on account of the long and pointed snout." In considering this rpiestion we must bear in mind who were the early settlers in Iceland, and endeavour to see if their previous history gives us any clue as to how this name for the Great Auk could have originated. As far back as the eighth century of the Christian era, there were monko of the Columban Church in Iceland, and it is ])clieved they were the first settlers. An Irish monk named Uicuilius wrote a work in the year 825 a.d., in which he mentions that at least thirty years previous to that time he had seen and spoken with several monks who had visited an island they called 'J'hile, which has been clearly proved to be Iceland from statements regarding the length of the days at ditl'erent times of the year, and a calculation of the duration of the seasons, which accompany the story. Those monks had their settlements all the way north from Ireland through the ii 136 THE GREAT AUK, OR G A RE FOWL. m Western Isles of Scotland to Orkney, Shetland, Faroe, and Iceland.'" At this latter island they had a settlement in the West-Mann Isles off the south coast, which get their name from the anchorites coining from the West Land, or the country that borders the west of Europe, namely, Ireland. On one of those islets the Great Auk bred, and although one of those stations where it has long been exterminated, we cannot doubt tliat at the time those islets were inhabited by the Christian monks it bred there in great numbers, and they must have been quite familiar with the bird. Whatever was the name by which they knew it, we do not think it was the " Geir- fiigl," as that appellation is evidently Scandinavian, while the name by which those monks called it would be Celtic in its origin.''^ Those anchorites were not colonists in the ordinary sense of the word, for they were no lovers of women, and retired to those solitudes for the purposes of prayer and religious exercise, desiring to worship God in peace. The next settlers in Iceland wore men of a different stamp, who were heathens, but who came to the island to get rid of the controlling power of government as put forth by King Harold Fairhair in Norway, which made them to be the "king's men at all times." They were no servile or sava;.^e race; they were freemen burn and bred, brave warriors, and adventurous seamen, who had vested rights and world old laws that they would nut allow to be interfered with. Itather than suffer kingly rule, they, family after family, left their Norwegian homes and sought a new settlement in Iceland. The lii-st settler who arrived from Norway in Iceland was Ingolf, who came in the year 87i a.d., and ere long he was succeeded by others, until most of the habitable parts of the island were allotted to various families. It is to these people we are indebted for tiie name the Great Auk bears in Iceland, and they may have brought the name witii them. At the time in which they or their forefathers lived, the Cireat Auk was most likely met with occasionally oft' the Norwegian coast," but at any " "Saga of Hunit Njnl," Diisetit. Introduction, lip. vii. nnil viii. ; also " ')icuile J.iljor de Meiisum Orbis Terrne. Ed. ValLktniier,'' I'aris, 1807 ; and Miiurcr " licitrtige zur Heohtmjt'si'iiditc dL'.i Uoriuauinclii n Nortlt'iis," i. iio. '^ Mr. K. (jlray, "llirds of the West of Scotland," p. 411. (,'ivi's "An Oeaildiul" as the Gaelic name fm the (ircat Auk ; hut we have heen unable to discover the Kouice of hi» infmniatiiiii, and suspect it is merely uCeltie corruption of the Norse name. Tlie l!ev. .lolm Liyhtfoot (ufterwards l>r. I.ij;litfocit), who was th^' friend of Pennant, published his ** Flora Scotica " in 1777, and at the cnmmeneenient uf it kIvcs a list of th*- fauna of Seiitland along with the (iaelic nameH, when he could diseover that any such names existed ; but though he gives the (iaelic name for the Kazorbill, " ('nllriiirlir," hi- minlioiis no (Iaelic name for the Great Auk, and he had every opportunity of ascertaining if there wrs one as he travelled through the llebriiles. "* Professor Steenstrup, writing us on '.'I'd March ISS.'i, referring to tlie results of investigations as to the Uieat Auk having freijueuted the Nurwegiau eoaat, lays, " We uuw know veiy "ell that during historic times THE GEIRFUGL CALLED A VULTURE BY MISTAKE. 127 rate was an inhabitant of the fiords of Denmark. There can be little doubt it was tliose Norwegian Vikings who spread the name of Geir-fugl through all the lands they settled in or conquered, which name, as we have shown, has now been varied in many ways as to spelling and pronunciation in diflferent countries. We think there can be no doubt that the Scandinavians gave the Geirfugl its name on account of its spear-like bill, as stated by Professor Steenstrup. It is generally supposed that the earliest mention of the name Geirfugl occurs in the Edda,*" where it is understood to refer to the Great Auk, Alca impmnis, Linn., though the following gleda (Faico milvus) makes it uncertain."* The evidence we have just given seems so conclusive that it might be accepted as finally deciding the question, if it were not that some personi have supposed that Geir in Gcirfiujl, and the German word Geier, meaning Vulture, are one and the same as regards meaning. Tliis misconception was probably caused in the first instance through an awkward mistake made by the translator of the English edition of Niels Horrebow's " Natural History of Iceland," which was published in London in 1758. Ho probably translated from the German edition, and mistook the word Gcir for Gtdcr, or its older form Geyer. Tliis led him to refer to the Great Auk as tlie Gcir or Vulture. " The Vulture Eocks, called also Bird Rocks, lie beyond Heiivenos, in the south district, about six or eight leagues west of this place. On these cliffs and rocks are a great many Vultures, which besides harbour in other parts of the island." Horrebow devotes a considerable part of his work to calling in question statements made by Herr Johann Anderson in his work on Iceland," and it seems probable that, in some instances at least, Anderson was rather credulous in receiving information from those who aided him during his inquiries in Iceland. Horrebow quotes Anderson to con- the Ofirfual l,u, not been seen at tlie Nurwegi,,,, co.nat, n„,l wo »1,„ now are better aoquaintu,! with the eon- a.tu.ns of the 8™..horos n,„l seabntt.nn.s in su,l, oountrie. where the bird live.l in former time., «n,l hence „ no longer ,hmeult to un,lerst,u„l why it ,li,l not live at tho Norwegian eoa.t. 1 an. now of the opinion ha ho whole range or hne of the Norwegian coast from north to south is environed with such deep water that ho Ge.rfug by d.vmg could not got to the bottom of the sea. i., order to catch its food there. Conse- .p.ently I am not .hsposed to think that the inhabitants of Norway or the Norwegian Skers (htand» did r.'irfu' iV,;'" ' v'"' ' '!'• '"7."- --' "-'f'--''. -"• tl'^'t exceedingly rarely, nor heard tho name given to the Ouirfugl (n.)t in Norway) but in the Faiilc, AVestern Islands, or Iceland."' Although tho word Oeir is •^ " Proso Kdda." I'Mition of ('(•iienhagiMi, 184,S-IS52. vol. ii. jiage'-lSS. *i Professor Steenstrup, in a letter to us, dated '.'2,1 March LSSo saya— " \l Scandiiuviiin, it is not properly a Norse word in its connection with (iJirfugl. That" u"to" s'iy, thi7n".me of tho bird, .•/,•,.„„;,,.„„,., r... IS certainly given in countries where tho bird was, if not very common, at least not exceedingly rare. ' " Herr.rohann Anderson (sometime Burgomaster of Hamburg), "Nachrichten von Island, Gronland mid der Strasso Davis, &c. Frankfurt u. Leipzig, 1747, p. 52. ■ I, ]■ < h I: 128 THE GREAT AUK, OR GAREFOWL. tradict his statements, and the translator thus gives one of these quotations in English : — " The Gcir or Vulture is not often seen in Iceland, except on a few cliffs to the west, and that the Icelanders, naturally superstitious, have a notion that when this bird appears it portends some extraordinary event. Of this he (Anderson) assures us, being told 'that (in 1729) the year before the late King Frederick IV. (of Denmark) died, there appeared many, and that none had been seen before for years.' " There are other passages in Horrebow's work, that are mistranslated, the Geirfugl being called the Vulture; but we need not refer to these, as the quotations we have just given are suflicient to illustrate how the mis- take in the name has occurred. Mr. Eobert Gray ^' refers to the name Vulture, which he supposes Horrebow had given to the Geirfugl, being no doubt unaware that there was a mistake in the translation, and then goes on to remark — " Whether this writer had traced any connection between the Iceland name Geirfugl and Lammcrgeir, or geycr (literally, ' Lamb Vulture ') which is a con- necting link between the eagle and the vulture, I am not prepared to say — the etymology of tlie name Garefowl being confessedly a difficult question. Professor Newton informs me that the obvious resemblance at first sight between Geir and tiie German Geicr or Gcyer (its older form) has struck several persons, but that he doubts if it is more than a coincidence." Professor Steenstrup, in a letter to us, dated 22d March 1 880, remarks " that he cannot understand why the etymology of the name Geirfugl should be a difficult question, because it is clearly a Scandinavian (Iceliuulie) mime, and means the Auk with the spear-like bill." As to the suggestion of Gcir in Geirfugl as Alea impennis, meaning Vult U7r, " the qnotud respectable Niels Horrebow " does not indicate any con- nection at all between Geirfugl and Vulture. I5oth the Danish original aiul German editions have Geirfugledj'er or Fugledjcr, and it is only by a hoiril)lt! mistake that the English translator (I tliink from the German edition) has trans- lated the name of tlie rocks as " the Vulture lloeks." Nor does the map of Iceland in Horrebow's work contain any hints as to Vultures; even in tlie German edition tiie map has " Geir- Vogel " oder " Vogel-Seliar." lli-fcrring to the statement of Anderson quoted by Horrebow, " the Geir or Vulture is not often seen in Iceland, except on a few dill's to the west," Professor Steenstrup says, " The German edition (and tlie Danish in tlie same way) has only ' Der Geyr Vogel wird gar selten gesehen und zwar allein an den uuteu her an der *» " Paper on two uiirecorjed Eggs of the Gieut Auk," K. Gray, Esi)- bursh," l»79-aO, p. (WO. " I'rooecdiiiga Royal Society, Kiliii- ■m GAREFOWL OR RARE-FOWL. 129 Westseite liegenden Klippen,' (p. 203)." Tiie resemblance at first sight between Gexr m Geirfugl and the German word Gdev, Geyer, &c.. is not so obvious as s'pposed, the first never being used witliout having Fugl or Fotvl behind it • the German word Geyer never being used with Voyel beliind it. without clianainJ the word's meauinf;. " As some persons who are quite agreed with us as to the name Geir/ugl bemg Icehmdic, are not quite so certain that the name was given to tlie Great Auk on account of its spear-like bill, and are inclined to leave the name an open question, we may state their views. They think it possible that perhaps the progenitors of the Icelanders brought the name with them from Scandinavia, and agam their forefathers had obtained it in the south of Europe, and they suppose that Geirr, the Icelandic for a spear, and the German word Gcier, a Vulture may have been derived from the same root and have similar meanings, and that the early Scandinavian settlers gave the name to the Gev-fuffl thinking it somewhat resembled a Vulture. We think there can ],e little doubt that this view was strengthened by the supposition that the English translation of Horrebow's work was correct, an.l that the Great Auk had been known in Iceland by the name of M ult.ire." Professor Steenstrup, writing us 22d March 1885, savs-" This ar"u- n.ent, I think, has really no basis at all, our Scandinavian progenitors in the filst being supposed to have had a quite diirerent name for VulUrc than Geyer ■ and again, the wonl Geyr or Geyer in the signification of Vn/ture. is not of Scandi- navian or Northern root at all. You may b. sure the idea of a Vnhure, or the tradition or reminiscence of a Vulture, or a Vulture-like shape and behaviour has nothing to do with the old Scandinavian conception of their Geirfu^d (Alea impenniii, Linn.).'"' ^ One writer, the Itev. Mr. Kenneth Macaulay,^" who wrote a history of St Kilda or Hirta, mentions the Garelbwl. He says, "The men of Hirta call it the Garefowl. corruptly perhaps instead of Kare-fowl-a name probablv -Wveu it by some one of those foreigners whom either choice or necessity draw into this region." It is evident from the foregoing that Mr. Macnulav did not know of the Jsorse origin of the name, but it is also evident that he rec'ognised that it was not Celtic. He appears to have proceeded to account for the name on the A T'.«t:r.«t. wonl] a ^peur " ™"" *'"' "'"•^"'^'^ *''^"' ''• '■ <=''• ' »'»" Latin Gaesum. i; I .m IMI :J :| 1 130 THE GREAT AUK, OR GAREFOWL. assumption that it must be of English orirjiii, and probably was under the impression that the ears of tlie Celtic inhabitants of St. Kilda wero not suffi- ciently acute to distinguish the difference of sound between Rare and Gare, in a langu ige with which they had at best only a very slight acquaintance. How- ever this may be, no one need doubt that the Ilev. Mr. K. Macaulay made a mistake as to the derivation of the name. It is interesting to notice the close association in the popular mind of the (Jreat Auk and the Razorbill, Alca tarda, L., from the similar names given to both these birds in different countries, and to which we have more than once to refer. For instance, — the Gurfel is mentioned by M'Gillivray *^ as being an appellation by which the Razorbill was known, and Fleming *^ gives tlie Garjil as a Welsh name for the same bird. Great Auk. — The name " Great Auk," by which this bird is likely to be known in all time coming to the great majority of persons, is, as far as we can discover, of comparatively recent origin. It does not appear to have been in use before the time when Linuieus gave the name Alca impciinU to the Garefowl and Alcn tonla to the Ittizorbill, sometimes called the Auk ; and it is probable the word "Great" in the name was originated to distinguish to the unscientific these two birds by the difference in their size. Pennant*'' gives the name " Great Auk," and quotes opposite it " Latham " ** as his authority ; on the same page he also gives the name Aim major, and refers the reader to " Brisson ; " '"' but this only takes us back a little more than a century, while the names Gare- fowl and Penguin were given to this bird long before that time. We are unable to say how this name came into such general use in pre- ference to others ; but perhaps it lias been owing to the writers in most of the recent works on natural history, with a few notable exceptions, having adopted the appellation, and the bird having appeared also under this name in press notices and caricatures. The King and Qiirew of the Auks. — The "King and (Jiieen of the Auks" was the name given to the two last specimens of Garefowl killed in Orkney, and the inhabitants of Pa])a Westra^" and adjoining island.s gave them this appellation, «' "HritUli Water Hinls," vul. ii. p. :14(!. <-' " niitUli Animals," 1H2H, p. l:!0. *•■> IViiiiiint. ■' liritish Zodlogy," vol. ii, p. 146. ♦* Lutli. " Iiul. Orii.," "Ill, id. «yii. v. ;lll. «■> liriHson, Av. vi, H5, Tab. 7 (17(iO). *" "Papa We»tra" waa llio »it« of an eculcsiaaticul Hettlciiioiit of the (^ulumbaii Cliuicli ; the ialniul gets its name from the ancliorites, who were calleil " I'apar " by the Nortlimen, THE NAME PENGUIN. 131 we suppose, to distinguish them from the Alca tarda, L., or Kazorbill, and perhaps also the Arctica alle, L., or Little Auk. Penguin. — A name by which it was known in almost all the countries it inhabited during last century was " The Tenguin," " or " le Grand Pingoin ; " ** and there can be little doubt that this name, which appears to be of Welsh origin, and which is now given to a class of birds inhabiting the Southern Hemisphere, was or finally given to the Great Auk, and it was from some similarity in the habits and appearance of these birds when viewed from a distance, though they differ widely, that led the early mariners who visited the Southern Seas to confuse the Spheniscomorplioe with the Alca impennis, L., with which they were familiar in the i^orth Atlantic. This confusion of the names led to no end of trouble among ornithologists, very few of whom fifty or sixty years ago really knew what were the points of difference between the species, and some were to be found ready to deny that such a bird as the Great Auk ever existed, but time and experience have changed all this, and Alca impcnnis, L., is now diily placed in its proper niche by the ornithological world. Professor Steenstrup, in his admirable paper on the Great Auk, mentions that the name Penguin is of Welsh origin ; and if so, seamen from that part of our islands may have been the first to give the birds a name in the American locality, unless we suppose that it had received this name when it was a frequent visitant to o>ir own shores and before the early voyages to Newfoundland took place. In the course of our studies, we have met with the following interesting statement. It is found in the third voluuie of " Hakluyt's Voyages," and occurs in — " A true Report of the late discoucries and possession taken in the right of the Crowne of England of the Newfound Lands, By that valiant and worthy Gentleman, Sir Ilumfrey Gilbert, Knight. Wlierein is also briefly set downo her higlmesse lawfull Title therevnto, and tlio great and manifold commodities tliat are likely to grow tlioroby, to the wliolo Kcalnio in general!, and to the Aducnturers in particxdar ; Together witli the easiness© and shortncsso of the Voyage. Written by Sir George Peckham, Knight, the chief aduenturer and furtherer of Sir ILumfrciy Gilberts Voyage to Newfound Land." *' Iilem, ]). T). ■" Oivcii by reiimuit, " British Zoology," vol. ii. p. 146, who refers his reader to ' ri. onl., 307. Hist. (i'Ois.,"ix. 393. i it\ m ! 1 \ i i| • ■ i i 132 THE GREAT AUK, OR GAREFOWL. Tlie third chapter of this Report is headed as follows : — " The third chapter doeth show the lawfull title which the Queenes most excellent Maiestie hath vnto those Countries, which through the ayde of Almighty God are meant to be inhabited. " And it is very evident that the planting there shall in time right amply enlarge h-sr Maiesties Territories and ])ominions or (I might rather say), restore her to her Highnesse ancient right and interest in those Countries, into the which a noble and worthy personage, lineally descended from the blood-royidl borne in Wales, named Aladock ap Owen Gwyneth, departing from the coast of England, about the yeere of o\ir Lord God 1170, arrived and there planted himself and his colonies and afterward returned himself into England, leaving certaine of his people there, as appeareth in an ancient Welsh Chronicle, where he then gave to certaine Islands, beastes and foulcs, smulry Welsh names, as the Island of Pengwin, wliich yet to this day beareth the fame. There is likewise a foulo in the saide countreys called by the same name at this da}-, and is as much to say in English, as Whitehead, and in trueth the said foules have white heads.'"' There is also in these Countreis a fruit called Gwyneths, which is likewise a Welsh word. Moreover, there are diners other Welsh wordes at this day (about 158.3 a.d.) in use, as David Ingram aforesaid reporleth in his relations. All which most strongly arguoth the sayd Prince with his people to have inhabited there," There appears on the margin of the page this note : — " 1170. Owen Gwyneth was Prince of North Wales. Nullum tompus occurrit Regi." ^^ ¥oT furthor particulars regarding Owen Gwyneth, see Appendix III. page 35. Caroli's Chisius figures the Penguin of the Southern Hemisphere, and says, " The name Penguin is derived from their excessive fatness (Latin, ■pinguis, fat) ; " '^ and if he is correct, the Great Auk or Penguin of the North xVtlantic liad doubt- less received the name for the same reason long before. Indeed, this is referred to by ilr. John Reinlio'.d Forster, in his narration of the voyage of Mr. Robert Hore, who visited during the sunnner of 1530 an island on the southern coast of Newfoundland, named Penguin Island, and he says the island had got its name from a kind of sea-fowl, wliich the Spaniards and Portuguese called Penguins on account of their being so cerij fat!''^ This derivation is one of the old-fashioned kind, and its absurdity does not need to be pointed out. George Edward figures the Great Auk, and names it the Northern Penguin.''^ •"' The (ircat Auk li»« ii wliite juitcli nil eiich side of the head in front of the eye. '» "Hakluyt'sVoyiiKCB," London, ICiOO, v<.l. iii., pp. Ki,"), 172, 17a. "' "Exoticiiriiip Duccm Libri," I.ejdun, 1(105, p. 101. " "History . i tlie Voyaijei and Discoveries made in the North, by John Reinhold Forster," I.V'.D. London, 1780, p. I'lK). M "Natural History of Birds," Part III,, London, 1750, 4to, plate 47. #^ THE NAME PENGUIN. >33 Ihe specimen of the bird from which this figure was produced, he tells us was caught by tlie crew of a Newfoundland fishing-vessel at the Banks a hundred leagues from the shore, where it was taken with their fish-baits. Edwards tells us he procured the bird from the master of the boat. Buffbn " calls the bird le Graml Pingouin, while Temminck" gives it the name Pmgouin Irachiptcre. The name Penguin given to the Razorbill. The Razorbill, Aim torda, L., appears also to have been known by the name of Penguin, as mentioned in a map of the Western Isles of Scotland published at Edinburgh in 1823, and referred to by Mr. Robert Gray in his paper read before the Royal Society, Edinburgh.'" It is stated that " the south-west coast of Bernera and Mingulay are remark- ably bold precipices, rising perpendicularly from the sea in lofty cliffs of ^neiss whicli are frequented iu summer by innumerable flocks of Puffins, JlaM Pengmns, and Kittywakes. These birds disappear early in autumn with their young." A Welsh name for the Razorbill is Gwalch y Penwauj, which is mentioned by Fleming. " Lc Pinyomn " is the appellation given by Buffon,^^ and another synonym is Pingouin macropterc, whicii is applied to the bird by Temminck.»» The Spellings of the name Penguin ano the various connections in which they are used. The spelling of the name Pe>ujum varies considerably, and for the information of our readers we shall give a few of those different spellings, with the connec- tions in which they occur. " Island named Pau,,nnr~" Report, of the State and Commodities of Newfoundland by M. Authonie Parkhurst, Gentleman 1578 "«» "Island of Penguin."-- Voyage of the Graee of Bristol of M. Rice lones, made by Sduester Wyet. Shipmaster of Bristoll. 159 1." " " Jland called Penguin " " be- cause of the multitude of birdes of the same name "-In a Latin letter to the " "Oisciiux," vol. ix. p. .ins. " "Manuiil," vol. ii. pp. '.W-iBi). " "I'rocceilings Royal Society, Edinburgli," 1870-80, p. G81 ■' "liritish Aiiinmls," 1828, p. i;iO. " " liulfon," Ois, vol. ix. p. .SO;!, pi. XXIX. (178;i). " Temminck, "Manuiil," vol. ii. p. 9:ir-9;i9. " Hakluyfs "Collection of Voyages," London, 1000, vol. iii. p. 133 °' /Old,, p. 194. i M m-n /I ,.| 1.1! i 134 THE GREAT AUK, OR GAREFOWL. WoraliipfuU Master Richard Hakluit at Oxford in Christclmrch, Master of Art and Philosophie, his friend and brother." The letter bears date 6th August 1583 in Newfoundland at St. lohns Port, and is from Steven Parmenivs of Buda.*"^ " Iland of Pengwin." — " A true lleport of the late discoueries and possession taken in the right of the Crownc. of England of the Nowfound Lands by that Valiant and Worthy Gentleman, Sir Humphrey Gilbert, Knight. Wriituu by Sir George Peck- ham, Knight.*^ The name of the birds is also given as " Pcngwins " in the same Eeport.*^ In a notice of the " Voyage of the Ship called the Mangold of M. Hill of Iledrife vnto Cape Briton (lireton), and beyond to the latitude of 44 degrees and a half, 15'.)3, written by Richard Fisher, Master Hille's Man of Redrife," it is mentioned the " Englishmen land upon Cape I'.riton. . . . Here diuerse of our men went on land upon the very Cape. . . . And as they viewed the countrey they sawe diuers beastes and foules, as blacke Foxes, Deere, Otters, great Foules with redde legges, Pengwym, and certaine others." "* Until quite recently the name Pin-wing appears to have been given to the Great Auk in Newfoundland, but this is probably only a corruption of the word "Penguin.""® Preyer"' gives the name Pemjuyn as the Dutch name for the Great Auk, and Grand Pingovin du Nord as the French. He also mentions the following synonyms and names — Plautus pinguis^^ Klein, Pinguinus impennis^'* Bonaparte. In the foregoing we have already given references for the following names, which we merely recapitulate — " lo grand Pingoin," " Pinguin," " Penguins," " Northern Penguin," " Le Grand Pingouin," " Pingouin brachipti're," " Penguyn," " Grand Pingouin du Nord," " Plautus pinguis," " Pinguinus imponnis." Apponath. — This is a name which, according to Hakluyt, laques Carthier gave to a bird which he found at the " Island of liirds," Newfoundland, and which, from his description, must be assumed to be the Great Auk ; but we give his own words, so that our readers may form their own opinions on the subject. The heading of the narrative is as follows: " Tiie first relation of laques Carthier of St. Malo, of the new laud called New France, newly discovered in the yere of our Lord 1534." «a Hiikluyt's "Collection of Voyaged,' I.omloii, KiOO, vol. iii. p. Wl. «^ Ibid., p. 172. «* Ibid., p. 175. «= Ibid., p. li)2. «« R. Gray, " Proceediiiga Royul .Society, Ediiiliurgh," 187^-80, p. 678. w " Ueber I'laiitus impeiniis." Heidelberg, 1862, pp. 14, 16, 17. "^ "Steniiiiatu avium" Lips., 17")'J, pp. Itti-.'IS, and hi« : "I'roUrom. hi»tor. avium," Lubecn, 1750, p, 75. And also Historia avium. «• Boniiat, "I'abl. Eucyl." i. p. 28 (1790). THE NAMES GODETZ AND MARGAULX. '35 , The beginning of tliis relation mentions " How M. Taques Carthier departed from the Tort of S. Malo with two ships and came to Newfoundland, and how he entered into the port of Buona Vista." The next part tells : " How we came to the Island of Birds, and of the great quantity of birds that there be," as follows : " Vpon the 21 of May, the ivindo being in the West, we hoised saile, and sailed toward North and by East from the Capo of Buona Vista, until we came to the Island of Birds, '<> which was enuironed about with a banko of ice, but broken and crackt ; notwithstanding the sayd banke, our two boats went thither to take in some birds, whereof there is such plenty, that unlessc a man did see them, he would thinko it an incredible thing : for albeit the Island (which containeth about a league in cn'cuit) be so full of them, that they seeme to have bene brought thither, and sowed for the nonce, yet are there an huiidred-folde as many houering about it as within; some of the which are as big as iayes (t>. "jays) blacko and white, with beaks like unto crowcs/* They lie alwayes upon the sea ; tliey cannot flie very high, because their wings are so little, and no bigger than halfe ones hand, yet do they flie as swiftly ns any birds of the aire levell to tho water ; they are also excelling fat. We naiiwd thm AporathP In less than halfe an houre we filled two boats full of tliem, as if tliey had bene with stones ; so that besides them whieli we did eat fresh, every ship did powder and salt flue or sixe barrels full of them." "Of two sorts of birds, the one called Goddz, the other Margaulx; and how we came to Carpunt. "Besides tliese, tlioro is another kindo of birds which honor in the aire, and ouer the sea, lessor then the others, and these don gather themsciues together in the Island, ami put themselves under the wings of other binU that are greater ; these lee named Goiletz. There are also of another sort, but bigger, and white, wliich bite euen as dogs ; those we named Manjimlj:. And albeit the sayd Island be U leagues from the maine land, notwithstand- ing beares ■omo swimming thither to eat of the sayd birtls." "■• '•'' The Frenchmen continued their voyage until tlie 25th June, when we find a notice "Of certain llumis called the Hands of Mxri/aulx, and of the kinds of beasts and birds that there are found. Of the Hand of Brion, and Cape Dolphin." "" Probnbly Funk IsUnd. ■' The original trunBlntdr into English from t))e onginiil Kieneli lias mn.lc two mistakes here, as the word lie Ims renilereil m„es shoul.l be ;„>j or mapi'ics ; and instead of crowes (■-■) he should have written ravens. '■ Jhe passage trarslaied in the Knglish version, from which we quote, " Thcii are alsn excrcdino fat ■ ice mimed them AporatI,," runs as follows in the original Frenth, as it is given by M. Victor Fatio, "liulletin de la Societe Ormtholigique Suisse" (Tome ii. 1" i«rtie, p. 23), "11 y sont excessivement gras, et estoient appelez par ceux ,lu pais Ai.ponath," i.e. "They are exceedingly fat, and they were called Apponath (so, not Aporath) by the people of the conntry." " llakluyt's "Collection of Voyages," Tendon, 1(100. vol. iii, pp. 201 and 202. " The island that Carthier refers to is probably tliat now known as Funk Island. Pol.ir bears would most nicely reach the island uimn the ice and not by swimming from the mainland, though they might occasioually swim from passing icebergs. •> j a j \\\ 'i ( ! i i! til i :! I It f h 1 136 THE GREAT AUK, OR GAREFOWL. "The next day being the 25 of tlio monctli, the weatlior waa also atormio, darke, and windy, but yet we sailed a part of the day toward AVest Nortliweat, and in the evening wee put our selucs athwart uiitill the second ([uarter ; wlicn n.s wo dt'])art('d, then did wo by our compasso know that wo wvk Northwest by West about seven leagues and an halfo from the Cape of S. lohn, and as wee were about to hoise sailo, the winde turned into the Northwest, wherefore wee went Southeast, about 15 leagues, and came to three Hands, two of which are as steeps and upright as any wall, so that it was not possible to elimbe them : and betweeno them there is a little rocke. " These Hands were as full of birds as any field or mcdow is of grasso, which there do make theii tes, and in the greatest of tliem tliere was a great and infinite number of those that in: rail Munjanlx, that are wliite, and bigger then any geese, which were seuerod in one part. In the other were onely Uudet:, but toward the slioaro there were of those Godef:, and f/reat Apiionatz, like to those of tliat Hand that we aboui! liauo mentioned : we went downe to the lowest ])art of the least Iland, where we killed abouo a thousand of those Goi/etz and Apponatz. We put into our boates so many of them as W(! pleased, for in lesse then one houre we might have filled thirtie such boats of them. Wo named thorn The Hands of Margaulx.'''" The reader will notice that, according to Hukluyt, Cartliier by his own statement gave the name " Apponath " to tiiis bird (this is a mistake, as Hak- luyt gives a mistranslation, see note p. lo5), and that in the second extract from his narrative which we (^uote he gives the name as "Apponatz." A learned ]ihilologist informs us as follows: — "Apponath is clearly an Indian (or Esquimaux) and not a French word. From the very look of the word one could easily tell that it was not Frencli." "' In another work where an account of Carthier's voyage is given, the name is s\iQ\i " Apjionath ; '^ and'" Professor J, Steenstrup, who was the first of recent authors to refer to the name, thinks we have good reason to believe it was applied to tlie Great Auk, and supposes it may be a corruption of the Knglisli word haqmomi; for the French mode of spelling the wiu'd varies, it also appearing as " Aponars." Aponar is the name given to the Great Auk by Andr6 Thevet,*" who, speaking of his voyage along the East Coast of America in 1555, says that at eight degrees from the Island of Ascension there was found a considerable (juantity of well- known birds, of which many were large birds with small wings and mmble to fly. "'' Hakluyt's " Collection of Voyages," London, IfiOO, vol. iii, |>, 20,'j. '' Professor Steenstrup, writing us22J Mureli 1885, says, "Probably at least, as the name given by the Eskimos to Aim loriln, I,., is Ak/'amok." " Terniaux, "Conipans Archives," vol. i. pp. V2!>, 121). "' Apponath ami Apponatz are the singular anil the plural of the samo name. In Old French tho plural ii often formed by £ instead of by .1. "" " Tho singularities of Antarctic France, otherwise called America, and of several lands and islands discovered in our own time," Antwerp, 1558. wmmmmmm THE NAME APPONATH OR APONARS. 137 He Lad heard them called Aponars, and he adds on this occasion what he had heard told concerning the Aponars of Newfoundland. " Moreover, in this Island (Ascension)," he says, " there is found a species of large (birds) which I have heard called Aponars. They have small wings, wherefore they cannot fly. They are big and stout like our herons with a white belly, a back black as coal, and a beak like that of a cormorant or other raven. When they are being killed they squeak like pigs. I have wished to describe the bird among the others, because it is found in quantities in an island off Newfoundland right opposite Cape Buona Vista. It has been called the Island of Aponars. There is there so great an abundance of them that three large Trench vessels going to Canada sometimes loaded each their boats at will with these birds on the shore of this island, and all that had to be done was to go ashore and drive them on before into the boats like sheep to the shambles. That is what has caused me to speak of them at such length." M. Victor Fatio" in his French translation of Professor Jap. Steenstrup's celebrated paper (see Appendix, p. 1), says : — "Next year (15.5G;, Thovet on liis way buck from South America was driven by contrary winds over against Newfoundland, but he does not seem to have then observed the birds in question. Thevot was a tolerably good cosmogiaplier, and liad been sufficiently ncquamted verbally by Jacques Carthier with the results of his two first voyages. It is therefore possible, though far from probable, that tlie ships to whicli ho alludes were those of Carthier's third expedition,— an expedition which seems, however, to have been unknown to hira. The Englislimen, Ilore and Tarkhurst, confirm the fact that these poor birds were surrounded and driven into the boats. Tlievet gives us tlie names of Godd and Margaiu; famdiar to the whalers of that time. Marganx appears to have signified usually the Gannet {Suht). The name Godd appears to have been applied in a general way to the black-featliereil birds of the genus Alca. As to the word Apponath or Apponar it was used to designate the birds which could not soar in flight, and it was afterwards supplanted by the word Pinguin. "The Appmiar of the island of Ascension cannot have been the Alca i,iipeiimi<, but rather a S2)heHiisais. This would correspond pretty well with what we know of the geographical extension of that species in the south of the Atlantic." It is perhaps better to leave it an open question, with our present knowledge, whether the name was applied to the Great Auk or not, and it may be as well to state that such an authority as Professor A. Newton does not seem to be quite '"^''^^'" 0" t^^o point, and thinks it may apply to some other species of Alcidaj.'' 8' " Bulletin de 111 SociitdOrnithologiquu Suisse.' Tome xi. 1" partie p "C '-' ' Natural History Review," 1805, p. 482. 138 THE GREAT AUK, OR GAREFOIVL. m i I Mergus Americanm. — Cnrolua Clusius*^ gives the name of Mcrg^is Americanua to a foreign bird of which h j had seen no description. He got a coloured drawing sent him by a person described as James Plateau of America, and figured this bird in his work referred tc, but the figure is not a good one. However, what is awanting in the pictrre is made up for by the careful description which he gives, and which the late Dr. John Alexander Smith ** thought could leave no doubt as to the species. Clusius says, " Rostrum aquilinum et satis crassum, non planum, in quo nulla dentium vestigia expressa apparent; ejus autem partem pronam obliquas quasdam strias habuisse pictura fidem faciebat, et anteriorem capitis paulld supra rostrum partem albd maculA insignitam si pictor quidem legitime illam expresserat," &c. Anscr Magellanicus, sen ringuini. — Anscr Magcllanicus, sen Pivguini was the name used by Olaus Worniius** in 1G55 for the Great Auk; but he must have had a confused idea about the bird, for though he figures the Great Auk from one got from the Farile Islands, an'«!' P ' I ^!| ;:■ '1 ' 1 ' ilfiL L ■1 4 Alca impennis^ — Another name, and the one which is likely ever to remain the designation by which the Great Auk will be best known to science, is that given to it by Linnaeus — viz., Alca impennis, L. Though this is one of its latest names, having only come into use towards the end of last centurj', still it has been serviceable in clearly separating the Great Auk from the Sphcuiscotnorphae of the Southern Hemispliere ; and this is no small service, as it has removed the cause of the confusion that is to be found in the writings of ornithologists who lived previous to the general adoption of this name by scientists. Chcnalopex impennis^' L Sp. — This is the name adopted in some of our public museums, and is the name for the Great Auk given in Gray's " Hand-list of Birds "^ "Exoticnrum Decern I.ibri," I.eydcn, 1005, lib. v. p. 10.S. " "Proceedings, Society of Antiiiuarics of ScotlamI," 1S7H-9, p. 9G. ''' " Museum AVormiiinuni scu Historiao Itcrum Kuriorum " (Copeuhngen), Leyden, 1C55, p. 301. *' " r.inn. Syst. Nut.," i. p. 210 (17(!fi). *" " Ueber I'lautus impennis,"' AVillinm Preyer, p. 10 ; also " Ilandl. of B.," iii. p. fl.">, No. 10,77.t (1871). '"-"sbjW*" .^.a^wjai NAMES FOR THE GREAT AUK. «39 in the British Museum." He luentious that the author of the generic name was Moehr. (Moliring), who uses it in 1752 ; it was adopted by Vieillot in 1818. Other names. — Other names for the Great Auk are given by various authors, and the following are those that we have noted in the course of our studies ; but this unfortunate bird was known by so many nauics that most likely there are others that we have not met with ■.—Nurthcrn Auk^^ English ; TosscfucjC^ Danish ; Brillenalk^ aud ftii/loser Alk^^ German; Gurrjwjel — wo give this as a Fartiese name at page 124, but it is as the Swedish name we give it here;"' Professor Steenstrup writes us, "It is used by some Swedish naturalists;" Pluutm impen- TiiV^ Brunuich ; Matocoptera imiwnnis,^* Gloscr; Alca horcalisl''^ Unfortunately, Professor W. Preyer is not accurate or reliable in his statements regarding the Great Auk, so we cannot place implicit trust in the names he gives. It is, however, only right to say that this is probably less owing to his fault than to his misfortune in having had to obtain liis information second and third hand, the originals not being accessible. M "Uebor I'lautus iuipounia," William I'reyer, Heidelberg, 1862, p. 17. «> Ihid. p. 17. I'rofessor Steenstrup, 22(1 March 1885, informs U9 " Tomjwjl is givou by aume Danish autliora as the name for the Solan Cioose, Hala alba, but never for the Qdrfutil " »» Ibid. p. 17. " "Birds of Europe," II. E. Dresser, vol. viii. p. 563. »» Ibid. p. 563. ., ,";' ," m'''""' *'''*"'"° inipennis," William I'reyer, Hei'lelberg, 1862, p. 16; also "Natur. ioreu, Vidensk. Mcddel., 1855, p. 114. »* "Ucber I'lautus impenuis," William I'reyer, Heidelberg, 18U2, p. 16, " Forster, "Sjuopt. Cat. Brit. B.,"p. 21) (181"). iV». S 1 ( 140 ) J 'i CHAPTER XIV. CONCLUSION.— THE PERIOD DURING WHICH THE GREAT AUK LIVED. VlfE have been aSlced repeatedly whether remains of the Great Auk have been ' ' found in a fossil state in any geological strata, but so far as we are aware no such remains have ever been discovered, and it has somewhat surprised us to see the change of countenance that has come over our interrogators when we have told them so. To have been found in a fossil state evidently would enhance the value of such remains in the eyes of some persons ; but it seems to us that it is more probable that the remains of the Great Auk will become more and more valuable because they have not been found in such a state ; and we think this a good illustration of how many extinct birds and animals may have lived abundantly until comparatively recent times and yet have died off, leaving not a single trace that they ever existed. To be preserved as geological specimens certain conditions are requisite, and as these seldom occur, and then are generally confined to limited areas, it is no wonder that we have many missing Hnks in the sequence of animated nature, and that it is difficult for the apostles of evolution to produce all the evidence their opponents retjuire to satisfy them that there are good grounds for the theory they advance. In the foregoing pages we tliink we have shown that, with the exception of a very few of the larger and thicker bones, the skeletons of the Great Auks found in the European regions liave entirely disappeared, and most probably this has occurred within 2000 years in Britain, and, accnrding to Professor Steeiistrup, within 4000 years in Denmark ; while in Iceland only a few of the larger bones have been found in deposits that most likely were formed within the last few centuries, and cannot in any case be more than 1000 years old, as it is only that time since tlie ishmd was colonised. In North America tlie same experience has been repeated, as with the exception of Funk Island, — the last stiongliold of the bird in that region, where several mummy Great Auks were found frozen ■i PERIOD DURING WHICH THE GREAT AUK LIVED. 141 in the soil,— the remains found in the kitchen-middens have been similar to those discovered in Europe. These periods are only as moments in days of geological time, and if after the lapse of such comparatively short periods so few bones of a bird are left, we may be sure there is little hope that any remains of the Great Auk will ever be found in geological strata, unless by some unusual and remarkable combination of circumstances they have been brought within reach of the necessary conditions for their preservation in a fossil state. ' Wi , I V Im APPENDIX. g ii:i r i- APPENDIX. I. RECAPITULATION OF THE VARIOUS INVESTIGATIONS CONCERNING THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE GAREFOWL. By Professok J. STEENSTRUP.' (Translated from the Danish.) WE iiiuKt now endeavour to gatlier tip in a few short sentences what we have learned from the prei^eding accounts of the Geirfugl's appearances at the various points mentioned. Tlio better to understand tlio following summary, the reader will please com- pare the accompanying map. (See original Paix'r.) 1. Tiio Geirfugl has never been a really Arctic bird, — that is to say, a bird which chiefly has its resorts and its resting-places within the Arctic Circle. There is, perhaps, not even a single jiarticlo of evidence to prove that it has ever been seen within the Arctic Circle, even in casual individual specimens. The Geirfuijls that have been observed farthest north are those seven which were killed by an Icelandic peasant on the rock under Lautrum-Fugloberg, as mentioned in his aceount given to Fabor. Yet even these chance stray specimens did not come at all near the Arctic Circle. The most northerly known nesting-places are the Geirfugl-rocks, olf the coast of Iceland, between G.'J' and G4° N. Even if one assumes a nesting-place at F"redorikshaab, in Greenland (and that rests only on the doubtful basis of the ono pro- blematical young bird mentioned by I'abricius), even it does not lie so far north.^ Tlius 1 As no part of rrofessdi- J. Steenstnip's valuiible paper on the Great Auk has been translated, as far as we are aware, int.i Kn^'lisli, except what wc have given at p.ige 31, wo have thought his summing up of tlio results from southern parts into these Arctic regions. 3. The home of the Geirfugl, as marked out by its historically known breeding-places, fell along the edge of the upi)L'r part {lurrtherti part) of the North Atlantic Ocean, In this Anglo-Sa.\on portion of the Atlantic Ocean the breeding-places of the Oeirfutjl formed, as it were, a lialf-circlo at a considerable distance from the coast-lino of the mainland or the larger islands. If wo begin with the western Geirfugl-roek, off Iceland, as the most northerly point, the semicircle went towards the west down over Funk Island (if over Labrador, is very doubtful), Penguin Island, off the south coast of Newfoundland, the Bird Islands, in the Bay of St. Lawrence, Cape Breton, and not improbably right down to Capo Cod. Towards the other, — i.e. the eastern side, — the semicircle passed over the southern Geirfuglrock, near Westmannuo, and the eastern near Ingolfsliofde, the Fiiroe Islands and St. Kildii. 4. Over all this expanse the Geirfwjl has been known to breed only on rocks or out- lying islands situated at a distance of from two to fifteen miles from the larger islands, or the continuous coastline of the mainland. Now, this can have been the case with the bird from the very lirst ; but we can also quite well sujipose tliis state of matters to have arisen out of recent persecutions of it, so that it has remained only in such distant, not easily accessible, places. If we follow the course of the bird's disappearance, we cannot but be led to the assumption that these outlying islands are only the remains of a former more general distribution (jf the bird over those islands also that lie nearer the coast, and, it may be, over the coa.st itself. Certainly, a natural cliain of reasoning leads ustoassuiiie that its historical decline within the last two hundred years is only a continuation of what was going on for centuries proviou.«ly, though not then perhaps in the same proportion. A bird so defenceless as the ( i eirjuijl amuol bo imagined as breeding on the coastof the mainland, or on the most closely adjacent islands, witliout being in a high degree a spoil for beasts and birds of prey, and above all for man. ."). All the above-mentioned outlying islands are so placed in the ocean and its currents that only very few of them — for example, Funk Island — can be within general reach of the ice-drifts. AVe have, therefort!, no cause to assume a propensity on the ])art of tliis bird to live in the neighbourhood of iields of ice. 6. On none of the places on which the Unr/iii/l has been observed within historic times has it been seen in so groat abundance as on the islands oil' Newfoundland. On the wiiole, the western side of the Atlantic (Jcean must be regarded as the chief resort of the ikirfufjl during liistoric times, whil.st even tiie earliest notices we have of the (Ipirfuijl':^ appearance on the islands on the eastern side of the Atlantic describe it as being rare and represented by but few individuals. 7. On all the above-mentioned points, it has in the meantime either entirely disappeared, or else come so near extirpation that, .so far as our presi'iit knowledge goes, there dues not seem any likeliiiood of its existing in any colony of size. On the west Geir/iigl-ivck off F APPENDIX. Iceland it still, according to all probability, lives and breeds, although even that colony must bo a tolerably small one. 8. The Gdrfugl's disappearance (and this disappearance must not bo regarded as a migration, much less a natural dying out, but as an extirpation) has its chief cause in the devastations wrought by man. AVith a view to dietary purposes, men have at certain times caught the bird to an extent quite out of proportion to the conditions under which the con- tinued existence of the species was alone possible. Yet the bird, whilst disappearing, has in so far helped to tlio attainment of a higher object, as it has evidently been for a long space of time one of tlie means that have essentially facilitated the prosecution of fishin" on the Banks of Newfoundland. Inasmuch as certain of the Oeirfugt's nesting-places have often been liable to violent natural disturbances, we have in this fact also at least a subsidiary cause of the GeirfugVa decrease in and disappearance from a few places— for example, from the Geirfiujl-vncks, off Iceland. 9. How far down towards the soutli the Oeir/u;/! in former, but now far distant ages, has followed the coasts of North America or Europe, can of course only be decided''by similar investigations, and by such finds as that which gave occasion to the present essay. Should bones of this bird come to light in much more southerly latitudes (which I do not look upon as improbable), one may at least regard it as certain that there is now enough known of its history to decide that its disappearance is not attributable to any change in nature, but only to the liand of man. I I ( 4 ) i'4 m •r; : pi' f ■i'... *■* < II. EP1T05IISED TRANSLATION kiiom the Okrman op that part op Professor Wh. ]ii,AsiLM' nEcf:xr I'ami'IILET (" Zvn Geschiuhtk per Ueukkrkste von Alca iMPENNis, Linn. J " Nal'mburo, a/S 1884) which treats of the Skins axu Egos. 1"ut ISlasius says that Ciuint Raben may have got his specimen after he had jjarted company with Faber. He tliinks that the Aalholm specimen may be one of the two which Woliey and Newton {Ihis, 1861, ]>. 387) mention on the authority of Sigurd Jonsson as having been killed with a .sail-jKde on a low-lying rock olf Hellirknipa, betweiMi Skagi and Kel)lavik, a few days after the end of Fabcr's sea-trip. Faber, Blasius points out, could =ii>' ,' APPENDIX. have had no opportunity of learning about theso two specimens. He says tlmt as these two specimens, whose subsequent liistory has never been clearly eluciilatetl, were, on the authority of Sig^ird .Tonsson, skinned in the same way as Arctic foxes and other mammals, namely, by having a hole pierced transversely through the legs, if it could be found out that the Aalholm specimen has been skinned in the same way, it would serve to confirm his conjecture.] I shall not. however, conceal tliQ fact that Newton brings forward a very probable expliination of tJie subsequent history of these two sjiecimens. Jonsson states the skins tame into the hands of Asgrimur Saemonsson, an inhabitant of Kyrarbakki. Now, it was exactly from Eynirbakki that, in 1823, the skins of two old birds in breeding plumage were, according to Fabcr (Ixin, 1827, p. G8.3) sent to the Koynl ^Museum of Copenhagen, the information given regarding tiiem being that they were killed by a boy with a stick on a skerry near that place. Newton, therefore, would hold the two pairs of skins to be identi- cal, lint even if this conjecture be right, there was, according to Newton's investigations, n third skin that figured at that time, for he says (Ibis, 1861, p. 387), "Some persons to whom we spoke said that Faber had got three specimens." By this it can only be meant, seeing that Faber actually got no skins at all in Iceland, that they sought to sell three skins to him. This tliird bird may have been a third one killed near llellirkiiipa, or perhaps the specimen caught in the year 1818 on South Island, mentioned not oidy by Kjiirbiiiling (Danmark's "Fugle," 1856, p. 415), but also before him by Faber (Isin, 1827, p. 682). At any rate, it is possible that Count Raben got this third specimen afterwards, as men- tioned by some eye-witnesses, during his stay in Iceland at that time. At all events, it is in the highest degree probable that the specimen originally came from Iceland. 2. Aamii, Sirlizerhoul — [This is a fully-coloured specimen, and was jiresented to the Museimi of Aarau by Counsellor of State Frey-Herosee, sometime about the year 1865. Frey-II(5roseo bought it in 1842 or 1843 from the father of Dr. G. Michalielle.s, who had died at Naujilia in 1835, on his paying the price of SO florins which was asked for it by a friend of I)r. C. Micliidielles. Victor Fatio thinks that this is one of the specimens described by ^Slicbahelles in I.iis (year 1833, page 650). F.iit lilasius thinks that the friend • if Dr. C. Michahelles, r- iiaining in ignorance of the hitter's death in 1835, sent it to his address about 1840. In that case it would be one of the three skins which, as 'Wolley and Newton ascertained (Ihin, 1860, p. 390; "Journal fiir Oniithologie," 1860. p. 32"), were sold in August 1840 or 1841 along with the body of a bird and a number of eggs by Factor C. Thaae to S. .Tacobsen, the other two being at present probably in Ihemen and Oldenburg. lUit certainly, I.lasius says, the Aarau specimen is of Icelandic origin, as all Jlichahelles' specimens came thence.] 3. Abbeville, France. — [The Mus6e de la Ville possesses a specimen coming from the collection of De la Motte. (See A. Newton in " Nat. Hist. Review," Oct. 1865; Journal fiir Orn., 1866, p. 404, and Ibis, 1870, p. 258.) Doubtful whence De la .Motte got it, C. D. Dcgland ("Oniithologie Kuropt^ene," first edit., vol. ii. p. 529, date 1849; and "Naumannia," ji. 423, date 1855), says that from forty to fifty years before his time tliree THE GREAT AVK, OR GAREFOWL. specimens wore killed at ClierljourK, ime of wliicli fouiiil its wiiy into Do la Motto's colloc tion. l!ut A. Nowton (in " Nat. Hist. Kcview," Oct. 1805, and " Journal forOrn,," 1866, p. 404) thinks that ho has dearly proved that the Abhoville siweiinen came from Copen- hagen, and in ail probahility originally from Iceland. Writing to lilasius, 17th Nov. 1883, he ."ays : " The specimen in the Alibovillc Museum was ccrtaiidy not killed at Cherbourg; it was got in Iceland, and sent in the year 1831 to Monsieur I)e la Motto from the Royal Museum in (A)|)eidiagen, as I havo learned from my good old friend Rcinhardt. I thoroughly distrust Degland's .story aljout the Itirds killed at Cherbourg." Dros.sor (" Birds of Euroiie," vol, viii. p. r)65) also discredits Degland's account.] 4. Amiens, France. — [The Museo de la Ville here possesses a specimen which A. New- ton saw himself (Ilni>, 1870, p. 2.")8 ; "Bull. Soc. Ornith. Suisse," tomo ii., partio 2, p. 151), and that, as ho writes to Blasius, as late as 1802, so that this .specimen assigned to Amiens can by no means be the same as that which Capt. A. Vouga of Cortaillod got about tho year 1838 by way of Amiens. Prof. A. Newton, writing to Blasius, thinks, but is not quite siire, that this Amiens .specimen came from tho collection of A. I)(daliaye, formerly Director of the Natural History Museum of St. Omer, who got it originally from Mecldonburg at Flensburg. Thu.s this specimen is probably of Icelandic origin.] 8ee also p. 79. r>. Amsterdam, Holland. — This siiocinien, which is to be found in tho Museum of the Koyal Zoological Society, was first mentioned by Champley (" Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist.," 1864, p. 235). It is not, as I first conjectured, the specimen which the Mainz Museum disposed of by way of exchange to f!. A. Frank, dealer in zoological wares, Amsterdam, but was, as Herr G. A. Frank, Lnndou, tho son of (!. A. Frank, has informed mo, obtained direct from his father on a dillVrent occasion ; namely, in 1843. Professor A. Newton saw this skin as early as 1800. 6. Berlin, Germany. — [Is in the Koyal Zoological Museum. Given in Lichtonstein's " Nomenclator Avium," 1854, p. 105, with tho reference "Polar Sea." Prcyor ("Journal fiir Ornithologie," 1802, p. 78) .says that it boars the inscription: "Alca impennis, Linn., Polarmeer. Rcinhardt." Prof. J. Cabanis of Berlin, writing to Blasius, says that it was in tho Museum before his time, i.e. before 1838, and that it probably found its way into tho Museum through tho close intimacy subsisting between Lichtenstein and Keinhardt (senior). Director of the Koyal Museum of Copenhagen, whoso name appears on the inscription. Like all tho specimens coming from Copenhagen, it must be of Icelandic origin. • Accord- ing to Prof. W. Preyer (" Plautus Impennis," Di.ss. 1802, p. 11, and "Journal fiir Ornithologie," 1802, ]>. 119) it has on the point of the beak eight cross-furrows above and twelve below.] ' From soniu inaniiscriiit notu« in his pooiicsiiiion riKiirding tlio lii»tory of Ah-n impennis, Professor Steenstnip has kindly furnished us with thi> following information : " I'rofossor Lichtenstein, in a letter dated ir>th March 1831, acknowledijed receipt of the suid skin.' had got it from Iceland the same year." — S. Grieve. Profemor Stecnstrup adds, " Our museum APPENDIX. 7. Bojjnfi Oourt, Emit, Enrjlaml— [Prof. Newton is informed by a letter from Mr. A. I). Hnrtlett that tlie specimen which bi'longed to Mr. Hoy, who died more than 40 years ago, is now in the possession of Mrs. Lescner, a sister of Mr. Hoy's.] 8 and 9.—Drurmwick, Germany.— [Ono is the property of the Museum ; the other is a loan from a private party. The former was bought from Frank certainly before May 1842, and probably between 1830 and 1840. Tim latter can bo traced back to the possession of Baron von I'echlin, Danish deputy to the old Diet of the Gornian Confederation. Cross- furrows of the former /o, of the latter y.,.',^. Both probably of Icelandic origin, as can be told especially from the manner in which they have been prepared.] 10. Bremen, Ui'rmaiiij.—k sppciiiion in a good stat(! of preservation in the Municipal Collections for Natural History and Ethnography. It was bought at the time of the Bremen Congress of German Naturalists in the year 1844 by Dr. llartlaub from Salmin of Hamburg, a dealer in zoological wares, for th(! price of .£G. In all probability this is one of the three .skins mentioned by Wolley and Newton as having been got on Eldoy island near Iceland in tlie year 1840 .r 1841, i the otlier two being now in Aarau and Oldenburg (or perhaps Kiel). But perhaps it is the specimen that Frey llerosde sent away about this time in ex- change to Hamburg. 11 and 12. Iheslan, Gfrmany.—Two specimens in the Zoological Museum of the University, to which attention was first called by Alexander von Homeyerin the "Journal fur Ornithologie," 1865, p. 151. He says they are the skins of aged birds, and are pre- sumably to bo regarded as a pair ( ^ and ? ). The furrows on the points of their beaks are, he say.s. respectively |». and ,",. Regarding their origin. Prof. Dr. A. Schneider, the present director of the said Museum, wrote to me on the 24th Nov. 1883 : " No do.niment8 remain relating to the origin of the two A!ca imjminig in our possession. According to the account of the conservator, which rests on oral tradition, they were both probably bought from an itinerant dealer between 1830 and 1840. I conjecture that the dealer in question Would be I'latow, wlio was well known in (lerman towns as a museum proprietor and a dealer in zoological wares. Piissler (in the "Journal fiir Ornith.," 1860, p. 59) says that riatow is known to have sold two eggs of this rare bird. The family Platow belongs to Freiburg in Silesia, and it is very likely that the itinerant dealer who sought all round wares to buy, in order again to sell tliem all round, would bring back from one of his tours two Great Auks for the collections of Breslau, tlie capital of his native province. Heinrich I'latow, the son of old Platow, continued the business in a similar manner after his father's death, and was, for example, '.Ji his journeys with his museum in the spring of 1879 in Brunswick, in the summer in Witten, Bochum, &c., in the winter following in Solingen, &c. ' Professor Stef n«tr.ip infoniis ui " that the statement is doubtful, and that he rather thinkn the skin was got iu 1844 " He then yoes on to say that " he prefers a certain trai)enhagen), that the skin soKl to Bremen in 1S44 belonged to one of our la-st individuals lone of those preserved iu spirits) got in 1844."— S. Grieve. i I i ^1 'If ^ \ ji I h I .1 8 THE GREAT AUK, OR GAREFOWL. 13 and 14. Jirujhton, Emjland. — Tliore wore two fiiio Aiwciincna in the coUuction of Georgo Dawson Rowluy, who iliud on 2lHt Xovcnibur, 1878 (soo Nowton in fliia, 1870, p. 259^. Tlio colloction now Ijulon^js probably to liis widow (nhou/il lie liin son). Ono of thorn belonged, up to 18G9, to tlio coUoction of Count \Wstorhoit-(ilikL'nborg, of Westor- holt, in tlio district near Miinstor, and Altuni (" Journal fUr Orn.," 18G3, p. 115) mentions it as l)eing his. Ilorr ( !. A. Fmnk of London finds in tho business books of his lato father, Ir. A. Frank of AniPterduni, that the latter in 1809 bought it for 10 Lo\iisd'or out of tho collection of Count Wontcrholt-(ilik('nlierg, and Hoon sold it again to Ooorge Dawson Rowley. Rowley's second specimen was bought in 1808 from Gardner of London, who got it in 1848 from Lcffcvre of Paris. It is probable that tho collection of the deceased Mr. Rowley (which it may be said coiitaiiieil also six eggs) is preserved in his mansion of Chichester House, East Cliff, Brighton. 15. lirn8;'i'lK, IkJijiiim. — An old specimen in breeding i)lunmgo, lirst mentioned by A. Nowton (Ihix, 1870, p. L'iVJ), is to be found in the ^Iu^eo Royal d'llistoire Naturelle. It was bought when the Musee was under the numagemcnt of Viscount liernard du Bus de Ghisignies {ah. 1874). 16. Cambridge, Ewjlaml. — Champley (" Annals and Mag. of Natural History," vol. xiv., p. 235, year 18G4) seems to bo the first to mention this specimen. It is in tho University Museum of Zoology, Some time ago I'rof. A. Nowton informed me that some of the bones from its extremities were taken to complete the Ciunbridge skeleton, wiiich, as well as three eggs, belong to the collection of tho brothers A. and E. Newton.' 17. Clialon-xiir-Sdi'iiii', Franci'. — [I)r. I!. F. dc Moiitcssus, a well-known ornithologist of this town, bought from Dr. L. W. Schaufu.s.s df Dresden the skin of an Alva imjiemiin, which Schaufuss had in .lanuary 1873 advertised for sale l)y means of a circular. As Dr. Schaufuss tells lilasius by letter, Montessus had |)reviously bought from him numerous birds for his beautiful collection (mentioia-d in "Naumannia" IS.')."*, I., p. 112), so that there is good reason for believing that the auk then acquired by Montessus has been permanently in- corporated in his collection. Ho got into the bargain two skins of the AIra Ionia in order to improve it, for it was oidy a badly stuffed bird again turned into a skin. Its origin is doubtful. Schaufuss thinks it is the one that once belonged to C. E. (!otz of Dresden (see Al. Naumann, "ISull. Soc. Ornith. Suisse," tmiK^ ii., partie 2, p. 148). ISut this, says Blasius, is very unlikely, (uit/.'s specimen, according to tho joint testimony of (1. A. Frank of Amsterdam and Spencer F. Baird of Washington (cited by A. Newton, Ibix, 1870, p. 269) was sold to tho Smithonian Institution in Washington. Perhaps it is the sjjecimen which was left by the apothecary Mechlenburg of Fleiisburg iu his collection at his death ' I'rofesBiir Newton, in a letter to tfie nutlior, dated 17th Sept, 1884, sayH ; "The existence of tfie etiiffed skin at Canil)iir (W. Proyer " Journal fiir (Jrnith.," 18C2, p. 78), a fact corroborated to Blasius by Ilerr Irank of London from the books of his deceased father, Herr G. A. Frank of Amsterdam. Ivewton tells Llasius that immediately after Frank sold it to Gould, and Tiuil'£:i,!:^T " ""'" '"' '"'"' ' ''""' '"*" ''°"''' '"^"^ '."° ^''^^^ CopenlMijen.—Hon Kojienhagen under K. nf C ^f-,f'f .'"'"f ' ^''ffel, S,dfzerland.-h, the private collection of Captain A.Vouga 1 s u t, .T \ :T,fl !;"""'"■' "" '"''^ "' """'""^^ •^•"""'«"' ^' -'-^ Victor Fatio Vonr ir ^'t '-^ '""?" «"«-^J^"'"'-S'"-"") on the information of Captain Vouga. Ho has also given at tiie end of his paper a coloured plate of the bird after a water- colour done by a son of the Captain's. In 1868 Vouga had already been some thirty years in poas ssiono It. According to him it was brought preserved in salt by some whale- fishers to a port in the north of France. It was stuffed in Amiens, and sent by the dresser pose that the 1 end. whale-l.shers brought it from the coasts of Nuwfoundiand ; though it proviSonr '' '" "'"''''" °" '°'"" ^'"'""^''^ '^'"^' ""^ ''^^-^ «"''°'i "^ ««'^« ^^' head is gei^rr"' ^""""^-^^^'^" '^ ^ '^'^^ '" ^'--'-l^. "^ -^-'^ only the tome'"" ftS; ^'T^-^";/^-. !>'''""' (""'•"itl'ologie Europdenne," lirst edit., 1849, tome ,1 p. ,^.9) following the infonuation given by Hardy in his cataloc-ue o birds rir- ; sin r ;■":"; '^f i-r-^r ^--'' <" ^""-"- ^i" i-Assodation deia liS! .7 o diiw, :/ . \'''''" "f;" "" ""' '^^"'''^ "^ ''"« -"'"^y- '" "- "'onth of April of two hfieiont years, wo Great Auks were found on the shore near Dieppe. One of them as k, led he other foun.l dead. One of them fouml its way into lirdy's coll cUo badand.„i egg as existing .„ Hardy's collection (which is now presumably in the Musdedo I884'n"''-T,*'"'l''"'^ (Contrib„ti,.n« i la Faune ornithologique de I'Europe occidentale. Fascicule I •'P: V i \ i ^ 'H i'^i \ I 10 THE GREAT AUK, OR GAREFOWL. la Ville), and this seems tolerably certain ; but the alleged origin of this specimen of Hardy's is very much doubted by Professor Newton, with whom Dresser (" Birds of Europe," vol. viii. p. 565) agrees. It is to be presumed that the Dieppe specimen, like the Abbeville one, is of Icelandic origin. My earlier communication regarding the origin of this speci- men, in the " Thinl Yearly Report of the Brunswick Association for Natural History," must consequently in all probability be corrected.* 21. Dresden, Germany, — There is in the Royal Zoological Museum, besides the egg out of Thienemann's collection, a well-preserved specimen of the Great Auk (mentioned also by Preyer in the "Journal fur Ornithologie," 1862, p. 78). Writing, 23d Nov. 1883, the director of that Museum, Herr Hofrath Dr. A. B. Meyer, has kindly funiiahed me with the following particulars : " Our Alca impennis belongs to the old contents of the collection, and is, so far as I know, first mentioned by Reichenbach in his manual, 'Das Konigliche Naturhistorischo Museum,' 1836, p. 22. Of its origin I know nothing. Reichenbach has given a representation of it in his ' Vollstiindige Naturgeschichtc.' It must have been a fully grown bird in completely coloured plumage." 22. Dublin, Ireland.— [B&& Newton, " Natural History Review," October 18C5. This specimen is especially interesting from its plumage. Edmund do Selys-Longchamps says (" Comptes-rendus des S&inces de la Soci6t6 Entomologique do Belgique," 1876, 7th Oct., p. Ixx.) that of all the many specimens examined by him in the dilferent museums of Europe this is the only one in winter plumage.] 23. Durham, England. — This specimen is in the University Museum. It is an old bird. It was first mentioned by Champlcy in the " Annals and Magazine of Natural His- tory," 1864, vol. xiv. p. 235. This specimen was formerly in the collection of Mr. Gis- borne, who got it from one Reid of Doncaster, who had got it from F. Schultz of Dresden (presumably the same as F. Schulz of Leipzig). 23a. Flendmrij, Germany. — [Prof. A. Newton had stated, on " indubitable authority," that there were at Flenslmrg, in the possession of Meclilenburg, an apothecary, 8 skins and 3 eggs. In order to obtain certain information about some of these, Blasius put himself in conmiunication with Herr \V. Toosbtiy, the head burgomaster of Flenslmrg, whose reply showed that Flensburg in all probaliility is no longer to be credited with any specimen whatever of the Alca impfnnis. After consulting with Herr Bentzen, the grandson of the deceased Herr Jleclilenburg and his succe.s.sor in the bu.sine.ss, he wrote thus on the 3()th Noveinljcr 1883: — "There have certainly been some specimens of the Alca impennis in the collection of the late Herr Mochlenburg ; though wliether ho was possessed of eight is very doubtful. Already in his lifetime he had disposed of the most of these 8i)eciinen3, ' In Mr. Hardy's catalogue, 1841, this specimen is nut mcntionod as being in his collection. Henco it must have been bought subsequently. I'lofessor Newton saw the skin and egg at Hardy's liousu in 1809. Hardy died 3l8t October 1863.— W. Ulasiiis. ' There are siwcimens in winter plumage at Cojwnhagen and Prague.— S. Grieve. APPENDIX. It anil we find among his memoranda that ' a skin of the Aka impennit, but without the feet and breast-plumage, was sold for 1000 marks Schleswig-IIolatein currency (= £60) to Siemsen, a merchant in Reykjavik,' Iceland, and that ' Mr. Robert Champley bought an Aka impeitnis, with an egg, for £120.' ^ What became of the other skin that remained after Ilerr Mechlenburg's death the heirs do not know. No part of Mechlenburg's eflects came into the possession of the town of Flensburg ; at the time of his death no scientific man appears to have troubled himself about the collection, and after the lapse of such a long time it would be very difficult to acquire further information." Accordingly, for the time at least, the name of Flensburg must be deleted from our list. One specimen of Aka impennis is mentioned in the catalogue of birds and reptiles which were exposed for sale in the year 1861, after the death of Herr Mechlenbmg. Blasius supposes that this is the specimen now at Chalon sur Saone, in the possession of Dr. de Montcssus, it having passed through several persons' hands in tlie interval. Jiliisius says that it is interesting to note how Herr Carl F. Siemsen of Reykjavik, through whose hands, at the time wlien the Alca impennis still lived in Iceland, no fewer than 21 birds and 9 eggs passed (see Newton, Ildi<, 1861, p. 392), bought back at a later time a faulty specimen. Perhaps, ho says, this specimen really found its way back to Iceland, and if so is now the only specimen there. Further information as to whether it is really in Reykjavik is very much to be desired. ^J 24. Floors Catstk, Roxburgh, Scotland. — [Particulars of this bird and conjecture as to its origin received from Mr. Symington Grieve, " who has made careful studies of the history of the Great Auk, and intends soon to make them public." — Also Professor A. Newton is able to confinn, through information acquired by him, the fact that the specimen has been in Floors Castle upwards of forty years ; he, however, put forwanl the conjecture that the skin was not obtained in Iceland, but was bought from a London dealer. The present Duke of Roxburghe believes that it was bought in Edinburgh between 1830 and 1840.'] 25. Flnrpncp, Italy. — [In the " Musco Zoologico del R. Istituto di Studi superiori." First mentioned by Champley (" Ann. and JIag. Nat. Hist.," 1864, vol. xiv. p. 23.5). Selys- Longchamps suys that it is in summer plumage. Nowtou (Ibin, 1869, p. 393) traces it up through Dr. Micliahelles and Frank to Mechlenburg of Flensburg. Professor Giglioli informed IMasius that it was bought for the Florence Museum probably between 1830 and 1833, certainly not later than 1833. It bears on its stand only the 'd inscription, " Schulz Schaufuss."] See also p. 80. ' Mr. Chiiiniilcy informs mii that the sum he pftid for the skin anil egg was £45, not £120. — S. Grieve. '■* In a letter to me, dated l.lth April 18St, Professor Newton says that apparently this skin now exists in the Central-Park Museum, New York. — \V. liliwius. Professor Steonstrup, writing us, 16th March 18S.'), rej;ariliiif,' the whole of tho last parayraph luider Flensburg, remarks, " I think there is an error here in some wny." — .S. (irieve. ' This specimen has been described in n paper read before tho Royal Physical Society, Edinburgh, by Mr. .Tolin (iibson, ISth April 1883. (" Prooeedinga Royal Physical Society, Kdinburgh," 1833, p. 335.) — S. Grieve. 1 1 iii I a ;i i a la THE GREAT AUK, OR GAREFOWL. 26. Frankfurt-on-the-Main, Prussia. — Alexander von Homeyer was the first to call public attention to what he called a very fine specimen of the Alca impennis in the Senckenbergian Museum here. ("Journal fiir Omithologie," 1862, p. 461.) Herr Dr. August Miiller, of the Zoological Institute, " Linncea," in Frankfurt, informs me that the custodier of the Museum says that nothing is known as to whence, when, and from what hands it came into the possession of the Museum, and that the sex of the bird and its condition when caught are likewise unknown. " It is," he says, " a completely coloured but not very well preserved specimen, and is ticketed only ' Northern Europe.' The Museum has no eggs or bones." 27. Gotha, Germany. — A communication by Br. Ilellmann, the former director of the Ducal Museum here, to the "Journal fiir Omithologie" for 18C0 (p. 206), calls attention to a very fine specimen under his charge, wliich was bought in IBS') from Frank, dealer in zoological wares, Leipzig. I myself saw it there in 1882. It wears breeding plumage. Professor Burbach tells me that it was bought for 20 thalers, and that the source whence it was acquired is strangely given as Eamann.' 28. Graz, Austria. — Professor A. Newton, in the /ftw for 1870, p. 257, was the first to call attention to this one, which is to be found in the Natural History Museum of the Joanneum. In answer to a request of mine for information regarding it, Dr. Sigmnnd Aichhorn, the superintendent of the Museum, thus wrote to mo (24th November 1883) : — " Our specimen is stuffed, and is in summer plumage. It is tolerably well preserved, and was sent in 1834 by Professor Koinhartlt of Copenhagen to Herr Josef Hiipfner, a landed proprietor at Althofon in Carinthia, who in turn made a present of it to the Joanneum. I cannot tell whether it is a male or a female bird." Before I got this information from Dr. Aichhorn, Professor A. Newton liad informed me tliat he had found in his manuscript notes the remark that in 1833 a specimen was sent from the Roj-al Zoological Museum in Copenhagen to lliii)fner in Klagenfurt. I conjectured that this presumed specimen at Klagenfurt was identical with the Graz specimen, and my conjecture was in a measure confirmed by a letter from Ilerr J. L. Canaval, director of the Natural HisUiry Museum at Klagenfurt. lie says (6th Dec. 1883) — "The Museum here has no Alca impennin. In 1833 the Museum did not exist, having been founded towards the end of 1847; Count Egger, however, had a collection which he gave up to form the nucleus of the Museum. Herr Ilopfner at that time gavo the Museum several very interesting contributions. I could, however, learn nothing of an Aka impeuniii." Were there, then, two Iliipfners, one in C.raz, the oilier in Klagenfurt, both of wliom received (ireat Auks from Copenhagen 1 A letter from Professor Aug. von. .Mojsisovics of (Jraz (9th December 1883) decides this. lie says : " There was in our province (Carinthia) ' It has in the meanwhile become doubtful whether this »iH'cinicn roally came fnim Frank's lianda. There still lives in (iotha the person who sold the bird through the agency of one Herr Uamann, and he has informed i'rofessor Burbach that he got the ckin, along with other objiets of natural history, from Greenland, they having been procured by a missionary who liad been there.— W. Ulasius.. . ; i!' APPENDIX. all ho )r. ilO at ;t8 id 10 13 only one ornithologist of tho name of Hdpfner, who gifted his very rich coUection of skins ^ the Joanneum of th.s town. A.Tiong this was tho one specimen of the Great Auk,-the pnde of the zoological collection." The Icelandic origin of the Graz specimen is thus clear. 1 29. Hanover, Germany.— CnhaniB ("Journal fiir Ornit'.iologie," 1862 p 78) was the first to mention this one in tho Provincial Museum of Hanover. It is in summer plumage. The custodier of the Museum, Herr Braunstein, tells me that it has been cut up through the belly and not under one of the wings. He also states that it was formerly (some time previous to 1850) m Clausthal, in the Harz. As, according to information given me by Irofessor Newton a specimen was a long time ago sold by Frank, the dealer in zoological wa OS, to Clausthal Museum, with which the specimen in Hanover is clearly identical the Icelandic origin of this sjiecimen is very probable. 30 HawMone,Sfiropshire, Unffland. -Thoro is here one in the collection of Viscount Hill According to Newton, it was bought in 1838 from Gould. Champley is the first to mention it (" Ann. and Mag. of Nat. Hist.," 1864, vol. xiv. p. 235). SI. Kiel, Grrmamj.-\n the Zoological Museum of tho University. (See "Third Yearly Report of tho Brunswick Association for Natural History," p. 94) It was verv probably bought in 1844 by Professor Behn, along with other articles of Ltural 1 story for Kiel Museum, by means of a large sun. of money, which in that year the "Prelates and Proprietors ' of Schleswig-Holstein voted out of a common fund Jor tho purposes of the Museum once thought that this might be the Great Auk seen and caught in Kie harbour during tho last decade of last century ; but this can hardly be. I would rathe 3r b ° " ": °^^^^"■•''-^-^S °f ^■'--^'■••g'^ oight, and indeed that one it e pre ent abode has not yet been cleared up. Or it may have been acquired from Salmin a dealer in zoological wares in Hamburg, who in 1844 sent Groat Aks to Bremen ai'id Ol.lenburg, and who had at that time received some skins direct from Iceland, and also was in possession at ono time of one formerly belonging to Dr. Michahelles.^ 32. Kothrn aermm,j.-\n the Ducal, formerly Naumann's, Collection. First 1 entioned by Preyor (".Journal fur Ornithologie," 1802, p. 78). Dr. E. Baldanius write to mo that it came from Copenhagen.' ' In September 1884 I was myself able to examine this specimen. It bears the «Mmn,PrnI„™„ «.th two very distinet s,„,ts on the breast. The furrows on'the bill a" ' =" T T" S":'^ apparently by means ef sewin, in the n.iddle of the bo,ly. There are traeerof'i.oth.eatin,''r "e white eye.spot an.l on the right side, on the win;,- and un.ler jaw -W Ulasius » Professor Steenstrup writes us 15th Mareh 1885 :_"If reallv purch.ased in 1844, it might perhan. be the second of these two Garefowls got in ,844, but traditionally I never heard that ISneS -w! ilEs'""" ^''""""'"'' """ ''■■""^"""' '"""'" ""^ ''''""■"^'^ »•"= «-* '» ■"^"tion this specimen. iii:>l ii 1 14 THE GREAT AUK, OR GAREFOWL. 33 and 34, Kopenhagen (Copenhagen), Denmark. — [There are in the Royal University Zoological Museum of Copenhagen, besides the preserved intestines of two Great Auks, an egg and numerous bones, two stuffed specimens, — one of Icelandic origin, in summer plumage ; the other, by many supposed to have come from Greenland, in winter plumage. That this latter, however, came from Greenland, is a supposition that hangs on a very slender chain of evidence. The late Professor Keinhardt of Copenhagen, writing to Professor Newton, holds that it has never been proved that this bird in the winter plumage originally came from Greenland.! But at the same time the existence of the Great Auk on the coasts of Greenland is a historical fact. One caught in 1815, near Eiskcrnaes, was afterwards in the possession of a Herr Heilmann; and one caught at Disco, in 1821, was in 1824 in the possession of Herr Benicken, of Schleswig, who writes in March of that year to the Isia (p. 886 f.) regarding it. Ho describes it as a bird in winter plumage, and it is this fact which forms the chief ground for identifying this bird of Beuicken'a with the one now at Copenhagen.] 35. Leeds, Yorhshire, England. — Tiiis one is now in the Museum of the Philosophical Society of Leeds, who got it on loan fronj Sir Frederick Milner, the sou of Sir William Milner, in whoso collection it was for many yeara Sir William was led by ^Ir. Graham, a bird-stufler of York, to believe that it came from the Hebrides (sco Newton in This, 1861, p. 398), but Newton, writing to Blasius a few days back, says that he has every ground for believing that this specimen was origuially given by Gardiner to Mr. Buddicorn, and that it comes from Eldey, in Iceland. 36. Leighfon, Wales. — [This one belongs to the collection of Mr. Naylor, an intimate friend of Gould's. It was lirat brought to liglit by Newton in the Ibis (1870, p. 258). Newton, writing to Blasius on 12th December 1883, says that old Leadbeator informed him that Naylor bought it from him in 1801. He (Leadboater) had got it from I'arzudaki of Paris.] 37. Leipzig, Germany. — At the reciuest of Professor Newton, according to whom a specimen was sold by Frank long ago to the Museum of Leipzig, I wrote, making incjuiries, to Professor R. Lcuckart, the Director of tlio Museum of the University there. On the 23d November 1883 I received from him the following interesting information :—" Our Museum possesses a line specimen of tlie Aka impeiinis. It is a question whether it is the same specimen that Frank sent to Leipzig. It is ticketed 'Iceland: I). Uekermann.' ' This account rested on a misunderstanding, and has been retracted a short while ago by Professor Newton. Not only Keinhardt believeil that it came from (Jretnland, but Newton, in his article on tlie Birds of Greenland in the " Arctic Munu.il," has e.\prt's»ly recognised the fact. — W. Blasius. I'rofessor iSteenstrup, in a letter dated Itith March ISSu, refers to the specimen in winter plumage preserved at Copenhagen as follows : — "Our individual in winter dress I have no doubt is identical with licnickeu's, and with Ueihnann's got in 1S15, and is the same as the individual seen by Faber in Co])en- hagen Ijefore his voyage t(j Iceland, because it was the only known Aka iinpmnh from (Jrcenland. Keinhanlt, senior (the father), bought this not very good specimen at a price three times higher than tho price paid fur the excellent specimens from Iceland uffervd to the museum in the same years." — 15. Uriovo. i .11' APPENDIX. 15 Uckermann is the name of a man who haa presented numerous interesting objects to our Museum. Besides, I find it already inserted, in the catalogue of date 24th February 1841, among the animals which Poppig tlien arranged as the nucleus of our collection. I have not come upon any further information regarding it." Naumann, in his " Naturgeschichte der Vogel Deutscldands," vol. xii. p. 646 (1844), mentions that twenty-five years previously a skin, bought for a handsome price, had come to Leipzig from Iceland by way of England. Probably that skin is identical with the specimen now in the Museum of Leipzig, though by it may only be meant some skin bought by old Frank of Leipzig, the dealer in zoological wares, —father of the Amsterdam Frank, and grandfather of the London Frank. 38. Leyden, Holland. —This specimen in the Zoological Museum here was first made known to the world, so far us I am aware, by Sclator in the " Annals and Magazine of Natural History," 1864, vol. xiv. p. 320, on the information of Herr Hartlaub. I think I remember hearing Herr Frank of London say that his father, Herr Frank of Amsterdam, sold it to the Leyden Museum, to which, indeed, he furnished many other articles of natural history. Schlegel, in the " Musdum des Pays Bas " (Urinatores, p. 13, April 1867), thus describes it:— "Adult: wing, 5" 11'"; tail, 2" 11 "; bill length, from the front! 36'"; height, 18"'; breadth, 8i"'; tarsus, 21'"; middle toe, 33"'." 39. Lille, France.— Thxs one is in the Musde d'llistoire Naturelle de la Ville. It belonged formerly to C. D. Dcgland. For further particulars see Olphe-Galliard in Ibis (1862, p. 302). Herr G. A. Frank saw it there in 1883. 40. Lisbon, Portugal— [\n the Museum Nacional. See Ibis, 1868, p. 457, and Ibis 1870, p. 450.] 41. Longchamps, near Waremme, Belgium.— [Bee Ibis, 1870, p. 259, and p. 450.] 42 and 43. London, England.— [Ihem two are in the British Museum. For the history of both see "Natural History Review " for 1865.] See also page 78. 44. London, England.— [This one belongs to Lord Lilford, who, as Newton informs me by letter (17th November 1883), got it after the death of his brother-in-law, Mr. Crichton. Public attention was first directed to this specimen by Professor Newton in Ibis (1870, p. 258). It is at present in the offices of the British Ornithologists' Union, 6 Tenterden Street ; but in all likelihood it will be removed, when it is found convenient,' to Lord Lilford's seat, Lilford Hall, Oundle, Northampton.] 45. Lund, Siceden.—Hn the Zoological Museum of the University. First brought under public notice by Professor Newton, on the authority of Wolley. It is marked " Greenland, 1835 : from Kcinhardt and Nilsson ; " but Blasius has the authority of Professor Quennerstedt, the Director of the ]\Iusoum, for saying that it may be regarded as certain that this bird is of Icelandic origin, since it was presented, in 1835, by Herr Kcinhardt, I t I f; ill' i .M) :i'l i: ii (•r! 'iIh;-; 1 ■:1, ii i! ■ I i I' i t6 r/ZE GREAT AUK, OR GAREFOWL. Counsellor of State, Copenhagen, through the agency of Professor Nilsson, who lately died at Lund at the advanced ago of ninety-six.] 46. Mihin, Italy. — [This one is in the very rich private collection of Count Ercolo Turati, who died a few years ago. Regarding this specimen, see Ibis, 1870, pp. 450, 609.'] 47. Mainz, Germanij. — [In the Town Zoological Museum hero tliero is now only one of tlie two exampli's which llerr Frank, of Amsterdam, the dealer in zoological wares, sent to Mainz. The other found its way latterly, after some changes of hands, into the posses- sion of the late !Mr. Rocke, of Clungunford.] 48. Mdz, Gi'rmantj. — [In the Town Museum. This i.s the specimen whicli formerly belonged to the Malherbc Collection. Alfred Malherbe, judge of the civil tribunal in Motz, 80 well known as an ornithologist, got it in 1842 through the agency of Herr Reinhardt, Counsellor of State, from the Royal Zoological Museum of Copenhagen.*] 49 and 50. Munich, Geniutnij. — Those an-, and havo been for ujjwards of twenty years, in tlie Zoological Museum of the Royal liavarian Acadomy of Sciences. They were Hrst publicly mentioned by I'reyer in the "Journal fUr Ornithologie," 1862, p. 78 and p. 119. One of them, namely, that one which was formerly in the collection of tho Duke of Leuchteuberg at Eiclistiidt, has up to this time been considered as originating from Greenland, and might as such reasonably excite interest, if wj take into coiisidcRitiou tho very small number of known Greenland s])ociniens. But from information whi'ih I have derived from Dr. I'auly of M\inicli, both specimens are clearly of Icelandic origin. It appears that both tho specimen formerly belonging to the Duke of Leuchteuberg and the other Munich specimen were originally bouglit by Michahelles from one and the same individual in Co- penhagen (according to Steenstrup, Professor Reinhardt). Tho negotiations were conducted through Dr. Kuhn, who was then (1833) hving in Nuremberg. Tho one bird cost 200 florins, the other 50. Dr. Pauly gives tho following additional information regarding these two bii-ds : "One bird (the Leuchtenl)erg one) bears the ticket ' Alca Impennis, Ice- land, H. v. L.' ; the other is marked ' Alca Impennis, L., Polar Sea, 1836.' Tho one bird is stuffed standing, tho other sitting with the legs and tail lying straight up. 15oth wear tho summer plumage, as Naumann has depicted it (' Natiirgeschichto dor Viigel Europas,' plate 337, tig. 1), only the colour on the back is not black but brown ; and, moreover, in tho standing specimen, brown of a pronounced but dull hue, in the sitting ono of an indistinct liut glistening hue. Both birds are dressed on the belly-sowing system, and are in good j)reservalion. The sitting bird i.s, in spite of its posture, about four centimetres higher than the standing one. Both are, according to Naumann, old birds, for both have on the upper part of the beak 7 ridges, on the lower 10-11." [Blasius conjectures that the sitting bird is a cock, tho standing ono a hen.] ' Ni)w in the Public Museum, Milan. Sec page 8|. — S. (Jrieve. - rrr Htueustrnp, in H letter dated Itith Mttich 1S85, favoum uh with tho following iufurma- tiuii : — "The specimen Bout to Malhorbe came from Iceland in ISIil." — S. Urieve. APPENDIX. 17 51. A^aen, near Arendal, Norway. — [Prof. Newton, in Ibw, 1870, p. 248, calls attention to this fine specimen, which is in the private collection of Herr Nicolai Aal, proprietor of the iron works at TweJestrand. According to Robert Collett it is of Icelandic origin.*] 52. Neuchatel, Switzerland. — The beautiful full-grown specimen in the Musee d'Histoiro Naturelle of this town was first brought, so far as I know, under the public notice by L6on Olphe-Galliai-d in the Uns of 1862, p. 302. By means of the accurate particulars given by Louis Coulon, the director and custodier of this museum, Victor Fatio (" Bull. SocOrn. Suisse," tome ii., pnrtie 1, 1868, p. 74) was able to state for certain that it was bought at Mannheim in 1832, from a dealer in zoological wares, named Ileinrich Vogt, for the sum of 200 francs. This Vogt very probably got it from the Koyal Zoological !Museum of Copenhagen, as is conjectured by Prof. Newton (" Bull. Soc. Ornith. Suisse," torao ii., partie 2, 1870, p. 157), on the ground of the fact learned by him from Prof. Rcinhardt, that in 1833 the Museum in question sold a skin to Vogt, a dealer in zoological wares in Mannheim. There is a slight discrepancy in tiic dates. Either there is a misstatement of the figures in one of the two accounts, or we may perhaps assume that Vogt about that time got several skins from Copenhagen. 53. Newcastle-on-Tijne, Eiii/latiil. — In the Museum of Natural History is preserved the only known specimen of a young ( Jroat Auk.- It was first mentioned with the epithet young by G. T. Fox in his Catalogue of the Newcastle Museum. Jlistakiiig the accounts given by Dresser in his " Birds of Europe," vol. viii. p. 566, I formerly conjectured wrongly that this was the same bird as that which Pastor Otto Fabricius, during his five years' stay in the district of FreJerikshaab in Greenland, was able to observe and to kill in the month of August. As Fabricius mentions this fact ("Fauna Groenlandica," 1780, p. 82) so soon after his thoroughgoing proof that the Great Auk cannot breed near Greenland, Steenstrup, in mentioning this matter (" Videnskabelige Meddolelser " for 1855, Copenhagen, 1856-7, p. 33), puts forward with good grounds the ccjujecture that it was no downy young bird of the Great Auk that Fabricius observed and stufhid, but only a young specimen of some of the other large swimming birds. The principal grounds adopted by Steenstnip for this opinion were (1) that the Great Auk used to breed so early that the young ones, fitted for swimming and diving, betook tliemselves to the sea as early as the middle of June, and certainly not first in August ; (2) that even if au egg were stolen, no second egg was ever laid in the ' In a U'ttor to me, dnted 7th Aiisust 1884, Profeasor Willi. I'reyer, Jeno, says — "This place (which lies 6 German, i.e. 27 Eiiglixli, milts from Arendal) should be spelt Aeea. The proprietor's name should be spelt AdII." A complete account of this specimen has been recently given by Robert Collett in his work "liber Alca impennis in Norwcgen" (Mittlieilungen des Ornithologischen Veroins in Wien, 1884, No. fi-fi). According to him, the specimen was got from the museum of Copenhagen, in exchange for a bear-skin, some time between 1840 and 1850. It bears summer phunage. — W. Ulasins. Professor .Steenstrup informs us, lOth March 1885, that " Reinhardt sent the specimen to Aall in 1845."— S. (irii^ve. ' In the liohemiim National Museum at Prague there is a stuffed skin of a Great Avik supposed to belong to a young bird. However, it apiwars to have belonged to au older bird than that preserved at Nowcastle-ou-Tyne. See pages 73 and 78. — S. Grieve. X » I .i;r I 1 I ' ! * i|> i8 THE GREAT AUK, OR GAREFOWL. same year; and (3) that the iiisiJe of the young binl killed by Fabricius contained ex- clusively vegetal)lo food, which was strange to the Groat Auk. But let us oven put out of sight these doubts of Stecnstrup's — doubts that are besides shared by ,T. T. Reiuhardt (Ihis, 18G1, p. 15); still I hold it impossible to maintain the identity of the presumed specimen of Fabricius with that now in the Newcastle Museum, for the simple reason that the latter represents a Inter stage of development. Fabricius repre- sents his specimen as a few days old, and covered only with a grey coat of down ; whereas the Newcastle Museum Great Auk, according to all the accounts that have been given of it, possesses already an eye-mark spotted blnck and wliite, as well us two or three furrows on ita bill — botli of which signs point to a longer life. Another fact that leads to the con- clusion that this Newcastle bird was not so very young, is the fact that Mr. John Hancock was able to take the bones out of the body with a view to their preservation separately. I'efore tliat could be done, the process of ossification must have advanced considerably.^ Professor A. Newton, who was formerly inclined to trace back this specimen to Fabricius, though not indeed to tlie identical bird mentioned above as having been killed by Fabricius, wrote to me on the 25th November 1883, acknowledging tlie possibility of a ditrorent origin, and stating that if it can no longer bo held to have proceeded from Greenland and Fabricius, then its original home must probably have been Newfoundland, witli which also Tunstall, the original possessor of the bird, as indicated by the title of Fo.x's catalogue, had connections. 54. Netccasfle-on-Tiine, EnglamJ. [This one, along with the corresponding egg. is at present in the private collection of Mr. John Hancock ; but Professor Newton informs Blasius that Jfr. Hancock is about to transfer, or has transferred, his private collection to the museum of the town, which will tlius now bo in possession of two skins.^ This skin and egg were bought by Hancock through tlie agency of Mr. John Sewell, of Newcastle, from Mechlenburg, of Flensburg. ^lechlcnburg, in a letter written to Hancock at that time (April 1844), said that that skin and egg, along with another skin and egg, had been got by him one or two years before from an island off Iceland (he said off the north-east coa.st of Iceland ; but that is manifestly erroneous). Now though the investigations made by Preyer in Iceland differ as to their results from those of Wolley and Newton in many particulars, yet they agree with thorn in this, that the few specimens of the Great Auk obtained at the beginning of the decade 1840-50 did not find their way into the hands of Mechlenburg, and that during the second half of the decade 1830-40 no Great Auks were obtained at all. It is, therefore, clear tliat those two specimens of ^Mechlenburg (one of them afterwards Hancock's and the other Champloy's) must have been obtained at an earlier time ; and probably it is to these two birds that 1 )i'. Nils Kjiirbiilling refers (thougli he is somewhat wrong as to the date) when he says (" Ornithologia Danica, Uanmarks' I ' On the Ifith March 1885, Professor SteenRtrup writes us: — "The very wild speculations on the young bird of Fabricius, I am very sorry to see promuli^ated again and again. This young bird of Fabricius has really nothing to do with Alca impennis." —H. (irieve. ' These remains of Alca imptnnii are now in the Newcastleon-Tyne Museum — S. Grieve, m APPENDIX. 19 Fugle," 1856, p. 415): — "Tlie apothecary Mcclilenburg, of Flensburg, possesses a pair of birds whicli were killed in 1829 on the Giirofowl Rocks, where thoy courageously defended their eggs." ' Presumably these two specimens date from tlio beginning of the decade 1830-40, and consequently cannot have come from the Geirfuglasker (which sank in March 1830), hut must rather have como from Eldey, from which originates, acconling to Newton {Ibis, 1861, J). 390), a bird caught in 1834 during the presence in Iceland of the Crown Prince of Denmark. For more about tliis specimen see Xewton, " Proc. Zool. Soc," 1863, p. 438; "Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist." 1864, vol xiv. p. 138; Ibis, 1865, p. 336, and 1870, p. 260.] 55. New York, America. — [Tho skin mentioned by Robert Champloy ("Ann. and ^^ag. Nat. Hist." 1864, vol. xiv. p. 235), as in the possession of Dr. Troughton, was, after his death, bought 1)y D. (J. Elliot, througli tho agency of Cooko, dealer in natural history wares, for tho Central Park Museum of Natural History, New York.'] (See Frontispiece.) 56. Noricic/i, £H;//a?((/.— [Professor Newton writes to IJlasius (17th November 1883), tliat the specimen formerly belonging to Mr. Lombo has, since his death, been presented by his daughter to the Norwich ^luseum.] ■■%■ 57. Ohlenhurij, frVn/faw//.— Cabauis (" .Tournal fiir Ornithologie," 1862, p, 78) was the fu'st to mention this specimen, which is pre.servcd, along with au egg, in the Grand- ducal JIuseum of Natural History. In a conversation which I had with the present director of that JIu.seum — llerr C. V. Wiepken — he told mo that it was bought, about 1840 or '41 (the date coul t 1^ i^ :< 61. Philadelphia, Ameriivi. — Prof. Newton, who saw it himself, was the first to call public attention to thin specimen, which is in the Pliiludelphia Academy of Natural Sciences. Its European origin npjiears certain. For in the great work, " Itirds of North America," by Spencer F. Paird, .lohn Cassin and (leor','(! N. Lawrence, Cnssin of Philadel- phia, who wrote the section " Alridn;" says : — "We have never seen a specimen of American origin," and adds that the only two known siiccimens in American museums were that of Audubon (which clearly he had never seen), and tho one that had evidently been in his own keeping in the collection of the Philadelphia Aiadciiiy of Natural Sciences. There are also, in tho same collection, for wiiicli they were procured through tho agency of Dr. Wilson, tiio two eggs belonging formerly to Des Murs, or at least ono of them. ' During tlic spring of 1884 Profcsaor Wh. Blasius heard of unuthcr »kln existing in Paris ; see p. 7U.— S. Uritve. APPENDIX. 62. PoltaUoch, Aiyi/Miire, Seollaml. — Prof. A. Nowtoii informed Prof. Blasius lately tliat a skin oxistod in tho collection of Mr. John JIalcolm at the above address, and also an egf(. Both tho egg and skin wore bought from forty to fifty years ago from Lcadbeater in London. — S. Grieve. See p. 94; also App., Egg 54, p. 32. 63. Powilikfepnie, New Yorl; Anwrim, — [In Vassar College. specimen see Prof. Newton, in [liin, 1801, p. 336.] For the origin of this 64, 65. Prague, Austria. — [In the Bohemian National Museum are preserved two speci- mens, both of which, as tho tlirector of tho Museum, Prof. Kritsch, writes to Blasius (25th Nov. 1883), are represented in his work, "Viigel Europa's" (Birds of Europe), table 59, figures 8 and 9. Tho fir.-> V /A Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 ^V v ip <> ^^, <^ \ ^XN »"Q ^L ^>% aL r i aa THE GREAT AUK, OR GAREFOWL. „ i [Im ' . 1 $ 1 ii::l ! 1„ 1 . I 1 single skin of the Alca impennis. It wns bought, along with an ogg, direct from Mechlen- burg (as I think, in 1860). I have good reasons for believing that both skin and egg came originally from Iceland."] 68. Stockholm, Sweden. — [The Zoological Section of the National Museum of Natural History contains a specimen, to which, so far as I (Blasius) am aware, public attention was first called by Professor Newton, who saw it there himself. Blasius was formerly in doubt as to whether this specimen had been procured from Iceland, by way of Copenhagen, between 1830 and 1840, or was the one which in 1817 existed in the collection of Gustav von Paykull, Counsellor of the Swedish Chancery ; but a few days ago, Professor Newton informed him by letter that it is not the Paykull specimen, regarding the fate of which ho could, when in Sweden m 1867, Icaru nothing, either in Stockholm or in Upsala, and re- garding which Sundevall himself was quite uninformed.] 69. Strasshurg, Germany. — [This noteworthy specimen is in the Town Museum of Natural History, which is housed in the spacious halls of the Academy. It is first men- tioned, so far as Blasius knows, by W. Preyer in the "Journal fiir Ornithologie," 18G2, p ."8. He says of it there : — "A very damaged specimen, with an artificial white (!) upper jaw. It is the worst example I know." This specimen was almost miraculously saved during the bombardment of 1870 (see Ibis for 1870, p. 518). The present director of the Museum, Dr. Ddderlein, sent Blasius at his request the following interesting information about it (1st December 1883) : — "The specimen in the Museum of Natural History bears on it no data relative to its origin, mode of acquisition, &c. Neither can any information bo got out of the catalogues, which for tho most part are quite incomplete and unreliable. Perhaps there are, hidden among the archives of the Museum, sonio facts that may at some future time cast light upon its history. Our specimen is in a truly pitiable condition. Its head, wings, and posteriors reveal suspiciously bare places ; on the lower jaw the whole horn- sheath of the bill is wanting ; tho rest of it is tolerable ; the upper jaw is genuine ; tho feet are very well preserved. In its markings it corresponds completely with tho description given of the summer-birds. The upper bill reveals seven furrows of nearly the same depth. Length (from posteriors to crown), 61 centimetres ; length of head, 16 do. ; from eye to end of bill, 12 do. ; ridge of the bill (measured straight), 8'5 do. ; hand portion of the wing (to the tip), 165 do. ; tarsus, about 5'5 do. ; outer toe, 8 do. ; middle toe, 81 do. ; inner toe, 6 '5 do. The height of the bird is 57 centimetres. Wa have no eggs nor parts of skeletons." Before Blasius received the above information from Dr. DiJderlein, Professor Newton wrote to him on tho 2r)th November 1883 : — "Tho specimen of Strasshurg has probably behind it the liistory of an existence of like length to that of tho Newcastlo-on-Tyno speci- men. It was given by P. S. Pallas to I'rofessor Dr. John Hermann, who then worked iu Strasshurg. It is, as early as 1776, entered in a catalogue, and that under tho denomination ' Northern Seas ' (Mors du Nord). According to the French geograpliical nomenclature of that time this may signify Newfoundland. Thus tho Strasshurg specimen is perhaps to bo regarded, along with tho Nowcastle-on-Tyne 8])ociiiien, as tho only known .specimens of American origin." The preservation in tho best possible state of a specimon like this — so interesting in all ^ APPENDIX. 23 probability from a historical point of view— is much to be desired. Edmond de Selys- Longchamps mentioned in 1876 tliat whilst it was in bad condition, that condition could, in his opinion, be improved without diminishing the scientific value of the specimen ; for the essential parts were not imperfect, but only a small portion of the small feathers, black and white, wore wanting, and these could easily be supplied from the feathers of an' allied speciea (" Comptes-rendus des seances de la Soci6t6 eutomologique de Belcique " 1 876 7th Oct., p. Ixvii.)] 70. Stuttgart, Germany.— This specimen is in the Royal Cabinet of Natural History. Newton, in Ibis of 1870, p. 258, mentions it, on the authority of a letter from Dr. Krauss^ dated 7th November 1867. E. de Selys-Longchamps mentions in 1876 ("Comptes-rendus des siSances de la Socidte entomologiqne de Belgique," 1876, 7th Oct., p. Ixx.) the fine state of preservation in which this specimen is, and states expressly that it is in breeding plumage. In a kind letter of the 24th November 1883, Dr. Krauss informs me that "the Stutt- gart specimen came from the collection of Baron John Wilhelm von Muller, Kocher- steinsfeld, Wurttemberg {oh. 1864 ; well known as a scientific traveller, and for many years a member of the German Ornithological Society), and that it was purchased in May 1867 along with a number of other stuffed birds. Dr. Krauss goes on to put forward the con- jecture, and to adduce reasons for it, that this Great Auk was a gift from the Zoological Museum of Copenhagen, in return for the many vali'able objects brought back fronfthe Baron's North African and other travels, and presented by him, amongst other museums, to that of Copenhagen. He goes on to sa}', " According to Naumann, our bird is in breeding plumage. Its sex was not noted. At any rate, it is an old bird. Except the white spots in front of the eyes (the left spot, however, does not quite reach the eye), the head has no trace of any whitish or brightish markings, and it is like the upper side, black with a brownish tinge. The under side is (with of course the exception of the throat) perfectly white, only somewhat greyish under the wings. The bird is (measured from the back end of the bill along the back to the tip of the tail) 76 centimetres long, some 8 of which are taken up by the tail. Tlie other measurements are— rictus (in straight line), 9'8 centimetres ; culnien (in straight line), 77 centimetres; do. (measured along the bend), 8-4 do.; the wings full, 16 do. ; tarsus, about 6 5 do. ; outer too with nail, about 8 do. ; middle do.', 8-3 do. ; inner do., 6.3 do. The front side of the upper beak has 8-9 furrows, of the lower beak, 11-12. We have no bones or eggs of the Great Auk." ' In a later communication (12th Dec. 1883), Dr. Krauss says : "Our AIca impennis is certainly a fine specimen ; but it is badly stuffed. Consequently I have resolved to have it re-stuffed. In the course of opening it up it has become evident that the skin was cut up under the right wing, and was otherwise badly treated. It seems to have been re-stuffed already ; still the skin has kept its condition well." On 16th ilarch 1885 Professor Steenstrup wrote us as follows :— "The conjecture is quite right As directors of the then Roynl Natural History JT„seun., Professor Forehhamn.er and I mveelf presented Baron Muller with this very magnificent specimen, the last of our duplicate skins from Iceland, in order to intrmUice an eNchange of African an.l Arctic birds ; but we got nothing of the great harvest of African birds collected by the well-known traveller. This was in 1849 or 1850."— S. Grieve. m 24 THE GREAT AUK, OR GAREFOWL. mi ' |v [Blasius thinks ho is justified in confirming Dr. Krauss's coi^jecture that this bird originally came from Iceland.] 71. Turi7i, Itahj. — This one is in the great Museo Zoologico del University. So far as I am aware, it was first brought under public notice by Robert Champley (" Ann. and Mag. of Natural History," 1864, vol. xiv. p. 235). Edmond de Selys-Longchamps says {Ihu, 1870, p. 449) that it is very well preserved, and represents an ordinary breeding plumage. 72. Venena Reale, Italy. — [Regarding this specimen see Ihis, 1870, p. 450, 258; do. 1862, p. 303; do. 1869, p. 373.] 73. Vitrij le Francois, France. — [A fine specimen exists here, first brought under public notice by Victor Fatio, who was informed about it by its owner, Count de Riocour (" Bulletin Soc. Ornith. Suisse," tome ii., partie 2, 1870, p. 148).] 74. Washinijton, U. S. Ammca. — [In the Smithsonian Institute. See Newton, in Ibis for 1870, p. 259.'] 75. Vienna, Austria. — This one is in the Imperial-Royal Zoological Court Cabinet. So far as I am aware, it was first publicly mentioned by Wilhelm Piissler in the " Journal fiir Ornithologie," 1860, p. 60. In 1877 A. von Pelzeln showed, in the " Mittheilungen des Ornithologischcn Voreins in Wion " for that year (p. 4), that this specimen came origin- ally from Iceland, and was bought from Frank in 1831. A letter from Professor Newton informs me, in addition, that Frank got this specimen in 1831 from the apothecary Mech- Icnburg in Flensburg. 76 and 77. Yorh; Ewjlaiul. — [The Yorkshire Pliilosophical Society of this city possesses two specimens, regarding which bcc the reports of the Council of the said Society for 1853, page 9, and for 1866, page 9.] I. LIST OF EGGS OF THE ALCA IMPENNIS. 1. Amsterdam, Ilollaml. — [In the Museum of the Zoological Society, "Natura Artis Magistra." See Robert Champley, in the "Annals and Magazine of Natural History," I864, vol. xiv. p. 236. Probably of Icelandic origin.''] ' Herr Schliiter, dealer in zwlogical wares, Halle, told me in September 1884 that Oiitz got this specimen (which has been cut up under the right wing) from Salniin of Haiuburg, and that Solmin got it from Iceland about 1840. — W. Blasius. ° According to a later account given by G. A, Frank of Iiondon, tbia egg cornea f.rom the quondku Temminck coUectiun in the Uijka-Museum of Leyden. — W. Blasius, \ APPENDIX. as 2. Angers, France. — [In the Museum de la Villa. This is one of four eggs which were seen in Brest in 1859, joined on a string. Probably brought by seamen from Newfoundland.] 3, 4, 5. Angers, France. — [In the possession of Count de Barrack. Robert Champloy mentioned two of them in 1864 (I.e.), whilst Newton was able at a later time to testify to the existence of a third which he had seen there (Ibis, 1870, p. 261). These have originally come from Iceland, by way of St. Malo, some time before 1837.] 6, 7. Bergues-les-Dunkei-qm, France. — These two formerly belonged to M. De- meezemaker, and are now since his death most probably in the possession of his soa They were first mentioned and described by Olphe-Galliard (Ibis, 1862, p. 302), and afterwarda discussed and given in pictorial representations by Ch. F, Dubois (Al.iionse Dubois : "Archives Cosmologiques," No. 2, 18G7, p. 33-35, plate 3). One of them is larger than the other (it is 126'82 millimetres according to the figure, 125'80 according to Olphe- Galliard), and has on a reddish-yellow ground a great number of broad, irregular dark- brosvnish black bauds, curves and streaks, distributed in pretty equal proportion over the whole surface. The smaller one (117'77 millimetres according to the figure, 115'80 accord- ing to Olphe-Galliurd) has, on a bright-grey and somewhat greenish ground, only a few small dark spots and (chiefly at the broad end) isolated dark irregular streaks, which unite them- ' Reives, for example, in one place into a striking irregular star with five rays (literally, arms). 8. Brcdau, Germany. — Belongs to Count Rudern. According to R. Champley,'who received the infoniiatKn from the deceased Herr Hiihnel, the barber, this egg was re- presented in Tliiencmanu's plates. (" Fortpflanzungsgeschichto der gesammten Vogel," Leipzig, 1845-1856.) It is the upper figure on plate IVC. [i.e. 96) of the series, drawn in 1854 or earlier, published in 1856.' This egg formerly belonged to the collection of the barber Iluhnel, in Leipzig, and was bought from him some time before his death, probably about 1870, by Count Riidern. W. Piissler mentions this egg as to be found in Hlihuel's collection, and gives a very short description of it ("Journal fiir Ornithologie," 1860, p. 59). Hiihnel is said to have got 200 thalers ( = £30) for it, whereas he had bought it, about 1835, from Fr. Schulz, dealer in zoological wares at Leipzig, for 7 thalers ( = £1, Is.). I am indebted for this information to Herr G. H. Kunz, manufacturer in Leipzig (of the firm C. F. Kunz), who ' In a letter to me dated 10th February 1885, referring to the above, R. Champley, Esq., says — " Here it is stated that I received information from HUlmel that the Breslau egg wcj ngurcd in Thienemann's plate. Thia is not the case. The work contains figures of three eggs — one my own, another Hiihnel's, and the third in the Dresden Museum. Hiihnel never sent nie a drawing from the Breslau egg. The drawing was sent me by Mochlcnburg of Flensburg. I copied the drawing, and have it now, and returned him the one he had lent me to copy. The egg is not figured, to my knowledge, and Is a very different egg to those figured by Thienemann, besides being a larger one." On the same day the same correspondent again writes : — " Since I wrote you this morning I have looked at the note appended to the Breslau egg, and find I am correct in my statement. 1801 nas the year Mechlenburg sent the drawing. He states he got it (the cjii) direct from Iceland, and sold it to Breslau. From ics size and markings, it is not only tha largest but the finest marked egg in existence as regards Uotchti, not streaks." — S. Grieve. V ■ * 1 '1, . ■ • 1 : ■' :» ? 1 j IS r i;. '1 is ,' If' i 1 t \ ' 1 26 THE GREAT AUK, OR GAREFOWL. WToto me, a short while ago, that about 1836-39 a rich senator died in Hamburg, and left a collection of stuffed German birds, which Schulz, the dealer in zoological wares at Leipzig, bought up, presumably at a very low price, and retailed again. Along with each bird there was an egg. Among them was the Alca impennis, with its corresponding egg. This egg fell to Hiihnol, who, according to a letter of that time, now in my possession, from Frank, the old dealer in zoological wares in Leipzig, must have been a very enthusiastic collector of eggs. The conjecture that the previous history of this egg can bo traced back to Brandt of Hamburg, and from him to Iceland, seems quite justified. According to a report that has reached me, HUhnel is said to have possessed, in the year 1849, no fewer than three eggs of the Alca impennis. In that cose it would be doubtful if it was the Hamburg egg that is now in Breslau. But according to the evidence of Herr Kunz, who saw HUhnel every day in the office of barber at his father's house, and never knew of more than one egg of the Alca impennis in liis collection, the report about the three eggs appears to be erroneous. See also pp. 103, 108. 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14. Brighton, Ewjland. — [The deceased George Dawson Rowley possessed at his death six eggs of the Alca impennis. As to the first two of these, see Newton in Ibis (1870, p. 2G1). The third belonged formerly to Mr. Labrey,* a shipping agent in Manchester, who got it from the deceased Mr. Wilmot. The fourth belonged formerly to Lady Cust. The fifth and sixth belonged formerly to Lord Garvagh.] 15, 16, 17. Camhriilge, England. — The brothers A. and E. Newton have possessed for nearly a quarter of a century three eggs of the Alca imitennis, regarding which the first-named gentleman has recently given me the following information. The first came, as did also the second, from WoUey'a Collection. Wolley bought it in 1846 from Mr. Beavan. Beavan Ijonght it from Gould, who in turn had bought it from Brandt of Hamburg in 1835. It is evidently this egg regarding which Newton has conjectured, and clearly in the right, that it can be traced back to the booty taken at Eldey in 1 834. The second was got by Wolley, in exchange from Wilmot, in 1856. Before that time it had gone through several private collections. It can be traced back to the years 1837 or 1838, when it belonged to a Mr. Augustus ^Mason. Beyond that time nothing is known about it. The thirtl was bought by A. Newton in 1860 from Mr. Calvert, who said that he got it from the Museum of the United Service Institution, which was then broken up. Farther investigations as to its origin have remained unsuccessful. Some conjecture that this is the egg possessed by !Mr. Salmon up to 1860. In that case it would presumably be one of the two eggs which Mr. Proctor got in Durham in 1832, and afterwards sold to Mr. Salmon for £2 a-piece.' 18. Clungunfonl, Shropshire, England. — Mrs. Rockc, who presumably is also still the owner of the skin belonging to her late husband, possesses an egg, bought by Mr. ' In a letter dated from Burslem, 4th April 1859, and addressed to R. Champley, Esq., Mr. Labrey says : — " I have an egg of the Great Auk, which is not by any means a good specimen." — S. Grieve. ' This must be a mistake. See Mr. Proctor's letter, page 22 of this work.— S. Grieve. . ! ■ ! .A i APPENDIX. n Rocke in 1869 from Mr. E. Burgh, in wliose family it had been for upwards of seventy yeara. From its ago it is probable that it has como originally from Newfoundland. 19. Croydon, Sutreij, England.— Mv. Crowley got, along with the whole of the egg collpction of Mr. Tristram, an egg of the Alca impennis (R. Champloy in " Ann. and Mag. of Nat. Hist.," 1804, vol. xiv. p. 236). Tristram got it from the late J. de Capel Wise, who, according to Professor Newton, bouglit it in Copenhagen from Kjarbolling (?). Ac- cording to one report, two eggs were, as late as 1844, sent from Iceland to Copenhagen. Perhaps Mr. Crowley's egg is one of these two. Its Icelandic origin is very probable. 20. Diq>pe, France.— T\\o ornithological collection of M. Hardy, who died 31st October 1803, appears, according to all accounts, to be now in the Mus6e de la Ville. This collection contains, along with a skin, an egg of the Alca impennw, which Wolley saw there in 1847 or earlier, Newton in June 1859. Hardy told Newton, on the latter occasion, that he had got the egg along with others from Newfoundland; but as he had before given Wolley his promise that he would try to get him another egg from Iceland, Hardy's egg probably came originally from Iceland. 21. Dresden, Gennani/.— [This one is in the Royal Zoological Museum. It formerly was part of the collection of Herr Thienemann, wlio has given a representation of it in his great work, " Fortpflanzungsgescliichte der gesammten Vogel. One hundred plates of birds' eggs in colours. 1845-56." It is to be found in plate IVC. (i.e. 96) in the lower figure to the left. Piisslcr gives a sliort description of it in the "Journal fiir Ornitliologie," 1859, p. 59. Its origin is doubtful.] 22. Diimddorf, Germany. — Tlie largo j)rivato collection, known as the Museum Ldb- beckeanum of Herr Th. Liibbecke, up to 1873 apotlieeary in Duisburg, but now retired from business, contains the collection of eggs inheritfd by him from his uncle, Friedricli Liibbccke, mercliaut in Rotterdam, who died on tlio 29th of February 1856, in the sixty- sixth year of his age, and in it one egg of the Alca impeimis. Ilerr Louis Berger, merchant in Witten-am-Ruhr ami member for the Landtag, for many years an intimate friend of the old apothecary and zoologist, F. W. J. Biideker, in the same town, said in a letter to me not long ago, that when lie was travelling in Holland along with Biuleker in 1848 ho saw this even then somewhat faulty egg at Lobbecke's in Rotterdam, and was told then that Liib- becko had got it from Thienemann. This origin appears to me to bo very probable, as the present {)ossessor of the egg writes to me that Friedrick Lijbbecke was an intimate friend of Thienemann's, and si>ont every year a considerable time with him in Dresden. This egg was broken through the awkwardness of a photographer when tlie present possessor was having it pliotographed at the urgent request of an Englisli collector ; but it was afterwards so skilfully put together again that the damage can hardly bo noticed. Tlie possessor has been able from corresi)oiidenco to state positively tliat the egg was bought by Frederick Thiuncniann from Perrot in Paris at tlie beginning of 1840. Berger, in a letter to me, conjectures that the picture of this egg has been given by Biideker, and that conjecture seems to me to be coutirnied by tlie fact that whilst Biideker's upper figure is taken from '■■>. i 'i I 28 THE GREAT AUK, OR GAREFOWL. .':•( the egg that was formerly Mechlenburg's, but now Robert Champley's, a drawing, descrip- tion, and note of the size of tlie Diisseldorf egg given me by Herr Tli. Lbbbecke answers well to the lower figure. Herr Lobbecko says : " Ground colour of a green dirty yellow tinge ; the roundish grayish-black ppots running into one another are mostly at the thick end; whilst the middle and the thin end have very few spots. Size, 128 millimetres by 76."' 23 and 24. Edinburgh, Scotland.— [{Ibis, 1869, p. 358-360 ; also Ibis, 1861, p. 387).] 25. Ilitchin, Hertfordshire, England. — Belongs to a Mr. Tiike. Is of Icelandic origin. First mentioned by Hewitson in his " Coloured Illustrations oi' the Eggs of British Birds," 1846. Tuko got the egg from Reid of Doncaster j Reid got it,, on the 23d May 1841, for £2, 6a., from Friedrich Schulz of Dresden, who is presumably tlie same as Schulz of Leipzig. This information is based on the accounts given by Reid himself to Mr. Robert Champley on the 26th July 1860, as made known to me by Champley in a letter of this year (1884). 26. Kopenhagen {Copenhdgen), Denmark. — This egg, presumably from Iceland, is in the Royal University Zoological Museum. J. Steenstrup, in a letter to me this year, tells me that no other egg except this one is known to exist in Copenhagen either in museums or in private collections, ,, 27. Lausanne, Stoitzerland. — As Victor Fatio mentions in the " Bull. Soc. Orn. Suisse," tome ii., part 1, 1868, p. 75, two eggs of the Alca impennis were found by Dr. Depierre in a drawer about the year 1860. These had probably been acquired by the town of Lausanne at the time when it bought up the collection of Professor Daniel Alexander Chavaiines. Chavannes, again, probably got them along with the remains of Levaillant's collection. Fatio has given complete measurements and descriptions of both these eggs; but as one of them — the smaller and darker — has been disposed of to Frank by way of barter, and by Frank in turn to Lord Lilford, I shall hero give only the more important particulars regarding the remaining egg. Its size is 122'5 millimetres by 75"5 millimetres. The two axes intersect at a distance of 44 millimetres from the broad end, — that is to say, at '359 of the larger axis. The grain of the egg-shell is less developed than in the other egg, hence it possesses rather more lustre. The ground-colour is bright-yellowish, strewn with black and dark-brown spots, which are pretty large, considerably apart from one another, and intermingled with some streaks of the same colours in different directions. The one side is less covered with marks than the other, and at the broad end are more spots, but still without their forming a regular crown. This egg must in colour be especi- ally like the u{)per figure in Biideker ; its ground-colour must bo like that of the upper figure in Dubois (see Bergues-lcs-Dunkerquc), and its markings like those of the egg in Des Murs' first plate. It probably originates from Newfoundland, ' In the meanwhile Herr Hugo Kliinne, artist in Diisseldorf, has painted this egg for me in nil- colours, and Herr Director Pohlmeyer of Dortmund has prepared plaster casts of it, which show with clearness that the figure by Biideker mentiooed above does nut belong to this bird. — W, Ulasius, m^^ \ t APPENDIX. H 28. Leyden, Holland. — In the Zoological Museum. Newton, writing to me a short time ago, tells me he saw it there in 1860. It probi y originates from Frank and Iceland.' 29. Lisbon, Portugal. — The Museu Nacional (Secjao Zoologico) contains an egg dis- covered a short while ago among the old contents of the Museum. Ph. L. Sclater called attention to it quite recently {Ilns, 1884, p. 122). 30. Liverpool, England. — The Museum possesses an egg which, according to R. Champley, belonged to the late Lord Derby. [The thirteenth earl, — i.e. the last but one.] This egg was found after his death, in 1851, by Mr. J. T, Moore. Nothing is known as to its origin, but it is one of the most beautiful eggs that exist Mr. J. Hancock has, as Professor Newton tolls me in a recent letter, prepared an excellent coloured plaster cast. il 31, 32. London, England. — British Museum. These two eggs probably come from Bullock's Collection. At the sale of Bullock's Collection in 1819 two eggs were included in the catalogue (one at p. 31, and the other at p. 131). Both were bought by Leach, then keeper of the Zoological portion of the British Museum, and these are presumably the two eggs now in the Museum. One of them was actually packed in the same box in which Bullock's bird from Papa Westra was ; but that does not necessarily lead to the conclusion that the egg came from Papa Vfestra. To judge from its age, Newfoundland is probably the place of its origin. According to other accounts, these two eggs originally belonged to Sir Hans Sloane, all of whose collections became part of the British Museum. 33, 34, 35. London, England. — fin Hunterian Museum. See "Natural History Review," October 1865, and Ibis, 1870," p. 261.] London collection of Mr. Edward Bid well. See under Weston-super-Mare, App., p. 34. 36. London, England. — [Lord Garvagh possessed three eggs, mentioned by Champley in the "Annals and Magazine of Natural History," 1864, vol. xiv. p. 236. Two of them passed not very long ago into the hands of the late Mr. Rowley. It is not known in whose possession the third egg is now.] See also eggs 13, 14, App., p. 26. 37, 38, 39, 40. London, England. — [Lord Lilford possesses four eggs ; (1) the one which his brother-in-law Crichton got out of the Museum of the Royal College of Surgeons ; (2 and 3) the ones found in Edinburgh; (4) one which he bought in the autumn of 1883 from G. A. Frank, dealer in zoological wares, London. Frank at first wanted upwards of £140 for it, but sold it for a somewhat lower price. Frank got the egg, directly or indirectly, by way of barter, from the Museum at Lausanne, as he himself has told me. It > This egg belonged to the old Temminck collection. Along with another egg which afterwards found ito way to Aniaterdain, it was mentioned and described in 1833 by F. A. L, Thienemann ("Syate- matische Darstellung der Fortpflanzung der Vijgel Europas," &c., Part v. pp. 57, 68).— W. Blasius. ^ ;'f^ Ni '1, , 1 30 THE GREAT AUK, OR GAREFOWL. 13 ono of tho two eggs noUceJ aliovo under Lausanne. Frank said it was the darker of the two : it must, therefore, accoi'ding to Futio's account, be the smaller of the two. The ground-colour is bright yellow-brown, adorned with rather numerous and closely contiguous spots, arabesques, and little streaks of black and blackish tint. Those markings follow for the most part tho general direction of tho principal axis, and running into one another, form a crown close round the broad end. Tho ground-colour is darker than is raported in the case of any other egg, and tho markings put one in mind of those on the egg in Uea Murs' second plate. Size, 111 millimetres, by 72 '2. The two axes intersect at a distance of 42 '5 millimetres from the broad end, or '382 of tho major axis. This egg came, in all probability, originally from Newfoundland.] * l\ :' ill 1 41. London, England. — Belongs to Mr. G. L. Russell, who got it after tho death of Mr. Wilmot, its former possessor. Wilmot bought it in 1846 from Loadbeater. A picture of it is to be found in the third edition of Hewitson's " Coloured Illustrations of tho Eggs of British Birds," plate 129. 42. London, Emjland. —Seo Newton in Ibis, 18G1, p. 387. This egg of Mr. Scales' has been lost sight of since 1866. According to a somewhat vague piece of information that has reached me, this egg is now to be found in Dublin. In that case it would be the only Great Auk egg in Ireland. Its original homo was probably Newfoundland.''' 43. Manonville, Moiirthe [should be Meurtheet-Mosdie], France. — Baron Louis d'llamonvilli) purchased, through the agency of M. Dubois, dealer in zoological wares, Paris, the whole collections of Mr. Bond, including a Great Auk egg. Bond got this egg, through tho ogcncy of Mr. Gardiner, at the sale of Yarrell's collections. Yarrell got it many years before from a curiosity-<]ealer in Paris for only a few francs. According to another story, which is traceable to Yarrell himself, he was, forty years before that time, or in other words about the beginning of this century, taking a walk in tho neighbourhood of Boulogne, when he met a fish-woman carrying sea-mew eggs. His attention being attracted thereby, ho followed her to her house, where ho saw hung up on a string four eggs of the Ci/i/nus mu-iicim, and in their midst an egg of the Alca inqiennin. He purchased the whole lot at two francs each. This egg is given in the first edition of Hewitson's work on the eggs of Briti.sh birds, plate 145. Robert Champlcy has in his possession a hand-drawing of the egg, which he made in June 18G0 when the egg was still in the possession of Mr. Bond. 1 V' i ■■ . . i . '■ i i 1 1 44. Newcastle-ouTi/nc, England. — Mr. John Hancock bought from tho apothecary Mochleuburg of Flensburg, through tho agency of Sewell, an egg with the corresponding 1 During the summer of 1884 Lord Lilford purchased a fifth egg, which we refer to at pages 88 and 110.— S. Grieve. ' Writing to me on 4th December 1884, Professor Newton says tli.'vt Mr. Scales died in .September 1884, at Brighton, at the advanced age of 90. The son of the deceased had informed Professor Newton that the egg was destroyed by fire some twelve years ago. Fortunately plaster casta of it exist in the collections of Mr. Hancock and Professor Newton. — W, Ulasius, j ■ 1 i APPENDIX. St skin in April 1844 or 1945 (that he boiipht it at nn earlier date appears to bo a mistake). Whether Mechlenburg got, as ho said, the egg and skin sliortly before from Iceland maybe left nn open question. It appears to be certain that in the decenninm 1830-9, probably in 1831, they were got on Eldey near Iceland. It is said that Hancock's collections have been given, or are to be given, by way of gift to the Musoiun of the Philoaophicnl Society. The egg is given in the second edition of Ilowit.wn's work, "Coloured Illustrations of the Eggs of British Birds," on plate 115. It is also briefly described by Pii.ssler in the " Journal fUr Omithologie," 1860, p. 59.» 45. Nunapphton, Ynrhshire, EnglnmJ.—[^\'c William Milner bought an egg from M. Perrot, a dealer in zoological wares in Paris. He paid 200 francs ( = £8) for it. This egg is now in the possession of Sir Frederick Jlilner.] 46. Ohinitahi, Canterhunj, Nno Zealand.— llr. T. II. Potts formerly owned three Great Auk eggs, which he boUbht from Mr. Gardiner, senior. In May 1853 he sold two of them at nn auction in London to Lord Garvagh, and subsequently took the remaining one to Now Zealand. In 1871 ho gave an account of it in the "Transactions of the^New Zealand Institute " (iii. p. 109.) 47. Oldenburg, German;/.— [In the Grand-ducal Museum of Natural History. See re- gartling it the "Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist.," 1864, vol. xiv. p. 320. A coloured drawing of it by Sehring, prepared at the Ornithological Congress in Bnmswick in 1855, which, however, gives somewhat too small dimensions, is now in the Museum of Hildesheim. There e-xist also coloured plaster casts of this egg, e.g. in the Museums of Brunswick, Hildesheim, &a, as well as in the private collections of A. and E. Newton and Herr Pohlmeycr of Dort- mund, who, famed as an egg painter, has himself put the colours on his cast. The measure- ments of the egg are, according to Herr C. F. Wiepken, 121 millimetres by 75.] 48. Oj-ford, Enghwd.—Thcra is now in the University Museum of Natural History the egg that formerly belonged to Sir Walter C. Trevelyan, in whose family it was for over forty years. He got it from Lady AVilson of Charlton House, Blackheatli. 49. Pappletrick, Notts, Enfjland.—'MT. Walter has an egg mentioned as early as 1856 by Hewitson in his " Coloured Illustrations." Mr. AValtcr bought it about 1850 from Dr. Pitman, along with the rest of his collection. Pitman, as Professor Newton tells me in a recent letter, got it from Herr Brandt, of Hamburg. Iceland is its i)lace of origin. 50, 61, 52. Parte, France.— In the Museum of Natural History in the Jardin des Plantes there are said to be now three eggs of the Aim imjmxnis. One dates from last century, when it belonged lo the XhU Manosse. It probably came originally from Newfoundland. (See Des Murs, "Revue et. Jlag. do Zoologie," 1863, p. 4.) Tlio other two were discovered in December 1873 in the Lycde of Versailles. The photographs of these two eggs, in the possession of A. Newton, show that on each of them there is written, " St. Pierre, Miquelon." The collection of Mr. John Hancock is now in the Museum, Newcastleon-Tyiie.— S. Grieve. > n\ I ■' ! , ■, 1 II' 1 '1 I 1 i «*■ :i 3» r//£ GREAT AUK, OR G A RE FOWL. Consequently it is certain that they both originate from these formerly French colonies off the coast of Newfoundland. [So Ulasius ; but St, Pierre ond Miquelon are still French colonies.] These are probably the only eggs whoso American origin is indisputable.^ 53. Philcuhlphia, U.S.A. — In 1857 A. Newton saw, in the Museum of the Philadel- phia Academy of Natural Science.s, the two Great Auk eggs formerly in the collection of M. O. Des Murs, w)iich were sold to Wilson in 1849. Both eggs were bought from dealers in Paris, the first on the 3d June 1830 from Launoy, for five francs, the second on the 10th May 1833 from M. Bdvalt, senior, for three francs. In 1863 Des Murs gave a pictorial representation of these, accompanied by a full discussion regarding them, in the " Revue ct Magnzin do Zoologie," They have both a ground colour of reddish yellow. The first is covered over the whole surface with broad black dingy brown and bright brown streaks and bands, not very close together, and only at the broad end gathered some- what together. The second is, on the other hand, covered likewise over the whole surface with narrow streaks and flourishes of bright brown and dingy brown, which at times become thick-like drops, cross one another in many places, form in some places star-shaped figures, and display at the broad end a distinct crown. Both in the work just quoted, and in his larger work, "Traitd Gdndral d'Oologie," Paris, 18G0, p. 468, Dos Murs says distinctly that he had three eggs of the Alca mjienms, and had sent them to Philadelphia. The third egg must have been somewhat like the egg of Count Rbtlern in Breslau and that in the Dresden ^Museum (these two arc somewhat like each other), which Thienemann has given on plate IVC, (i.e. 96) of his work (upjior figure and left one below), since Des Murs could erroneously conjecture that these two figures repre- sented that thiiil eg:j of his from two difrerent points of view. It has not yet been clearly proved what has become of this third egg. A. Newton, led by information received by him orally from Cassin, doubts its existence. In a letter to me, Professor Newton say.", it is reported that one of the two eggs seen by him in Philadelphia has been transferred to the Smithsonian Institution at Washington. This as yet somewhat vague report ojipliea, per- haps, to Des Murs' third egg. In that case the otlier two will both bo still in Philadelphia ; but in the meantime I note just one for this place. 54. PoltaUorh, An/i/le, Sc.oflaiul. — Profossor A. Newton has quite recently informed me that Mr. John Malcolm has in Lis collection a Great Auk egg, as well as a skin not mentioned in the former part of this paper. Both egg and skin were bought, from forty to fifty years ago, from Leadbetter in London, See skin 62, App., p. 21. 55. Iteiijafe, Siarci/, England. — [Mrs. Wise, who lives in the neighbourhood of this town, has inherited from her father, Mr. Holland, an egg which he bought in 1851 from Williams of London, and which W'illiams in turn bought from Lefiivrc of Paris. Perhaps this is the egg from which Lefevrc caused plaster casts to bo prepared, one of which is now in the possession of Professor Victor Fatio, and has been accurately measured and described by him in the "Bulletin Soc. Orn. Suisse," tome ii., part 1, p. 78.] ' Recently Professor Wh. Blasius has obtained information which leads him to suppose there are now no eggs uf Aka ivipennis in the Natural History Museum at Paris. See p. 89. — S, Grieve. |[f; APPENDIX. is 56. Scarborough, Yorkshire, Emjland. — The Museum of Natural History here possesses an egg bequeathed to it by the late Mr. Alwin S. Bell. Mr. Bell, in sending the photo- graph of the egg in 1872 to Professor A. Newton, informed him that ho bought it in 1867 from Gardiner, in London. Gardiner only said that the cg^- came from a collection in Derbyshire, without being willing to give any further information regarding it. Probably Mr. Bell had the egg for some years previous to 1867, since Mr. R. Champley, writing to mo a short time ago, informed me that the name given erroneously as Mr. Selwyn, in his former list of 1864, should probably be given as Mr. Alwin Bell. 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, d-., 65. Scarborough, England. — These nine eggs belong to Mr. Robert Champley, and were acquired by him in 1864 and a few years preceding that date. Mr. Champley has himself given mo the following information regarding them : — 57. Bought from G. H. Kunz of Leipzig. Mr. Champley was himself not well in- formed regarding the previous history of this egg, since, foiuuling on an evidently misunder- stood letter of Piisslor's, lie traced it back to him. But Herr G. H. Kunz has himself re- cently informed me that the only egg which he ever had, and which at last he disposed of to Mr. Champley, came from the hands of Herr Th. Schulze of Neuhaldensleben. The son of Herr Th. Schulze, Herr Jlax Schulze, apothecary and botanist in Jena, has, from papers of his father still in his keeping, been able to inform me that his father sold the egg to Kunz in 1857, for 50 thalers ( = £7, lOs.), as I leani elsewhere, and tliat he got it in 1835 from Herr Fr. Schulze in Leipzig for the price of 7 thaleis ( = .£1, Is.), along with eggs of the Podicep» cornutus, Falco Haliavtus, &c., and with the accompanying words : " I have had to keep the egg of the Alca imjmmig hidden, as I have been several times asked for it, and it is probably the last I shall get this year." 58. Bought about 1860 from Mechleuburg of Flunsburg, along with a skin, the price paid for both being, according to Mr. Champley, £45, and not XI 20, as given above in accord- ance with Mechlenburg's memoranda. Tliat ^Mechleuburg got both skin and egg from Iceland is certain. When he got them, and when they were captured, is still somewhat un- certain. Descriptions of this egg are given by Biideker in his work on eggs (he also gives a picture of it), and by I'iisslor in the " Journal fiir Ornithologie," 1862, p. 59. 59. Bought from Parzudaki of Paris. Parzudaki got it from the AbbiS de la Motte of Abbeville. It is described by Biideker. 60. Bought in Italy from Bpallanzani. Accurately described by Biideker. 61. Bought from Mr. Ward of London, who got it from M. Fairmaire, a dealer in zoological wares in Paris. Size, 4| inches long, 3 broad. It has a ground colour of dirty white beo'itifully marked all over with black and brown spots. 62. Also bought from Mr. Ward. Of the same size as 61. The ground colour is dirty white, with dark and brown spots, which form a crown at the broad end. 63. Bought, through the agency of Prof. Flower, from the Royal College of Surgeons. 4J inches long, 3J broad. Dark-yellow markings, all at thick end. 64. Bought from the same. 3J inches long, 2J broail Dark yellow ; beautifully marked all over, but somewhat more darkly at the thick end. itii 1 ii f '■ 34 THE GREAT AUK, OR GAREFOWL. 65. Bought from the same. 4| inches long, 2| broad. Ground colour dark yellow, marked all over. •' All the nine jggs are in good condition and quite perfect. 66. Washington, U.S.A — See under Philadelphia. 6r. Wavendon Rectory, hy 1. .urn Beds, England.-Mr. Burney, who lives here possesses an egg that came from the Royal College of Surgeons, and hence came originally m all probability from Newfoundland. o j 68. Weston-suj^r-Mare, Somerset, England.-Tho late Mr. Braikenridge, of this place also bought an ogg from the Royal College of Surgeons. Professor Newton, writing to me, says that it is probably still at Weston in the hands of his heirs i T ' "J^" "^f ^"^ recently changeJ hands, and is now in the handa of Mr. Edward Bidwell 1 Trier Lane, Upper Thames Street, London, K.C." He kindly informs the author as follows: "The Grea^ Auks egg now m my collection is one of the four eggs sold by the College of Surgeons (as per Steven's Sale Catalogue, Ju y 11th. 1865, lot 140). It was purchased by the late Lv. George A. BrafkenriS o Cleyedon Somerset, from whose sister I recently purchased it" This egg is now preserved at Mr. Bid- wsll's residence, Fonnereau House, Twickenham.— S. Grieve. fc?^ i '' . E^^'tf '- '-4 ( 35 ) III. HAKLUYT'S VOYAGES. London, 1600. Page 1. The most ancient Discouery of the West Indies, by Madoc, the Sonne of Owen Guyneth, Prince of North Wales, in the yeere 1170 ; taken out of the history of Wales, lately published by M. Dauid Powell, Doctor of Divinity. AFTER the death of Owen Guyneth, his sonnes fell at debate who should inherit after him; for the eldest sonne borne in matrimony, Edward or lorwerth Drwydion, was counted unmeet to goveme, because of the mairae upon his face ; and Howell, that took upon him nil the rule, was a base son, begotten upon an Irish woman. Therefore Dauid gathered all the power ho could, and came against Howell, and fighting with him, slew him; and afterwards enjoyed quietly the whole land of North Wales, until hi.s brother, lorwerth's sonne, came to age. Madoc, another of Owon Guyneth his sonnes, left the land in contention betwixt his brethren, and prepared certaine ships with men and munition, and sought aduentures by Seas, sailing West, and leaning the coast of Ireland so farre North, that he came unto a land unkuowen, where he saw many strange things. This land must needs be some part of that Countrcy of which the Spanyards affirme themselves to be the first finders since Iianno's time. Whereupon it is manifest that tliat countrey was by Britaines discouered, long before Columbus led any Spanyards thither. Of the voyage and returne of this Madoc there be many fables fained, as the common people doe use in distance of place and length of time rather to augment then to diminish ; but sure it is there he wa.s. And after he had returned home, and declared the pleasant and fruitfull countreys that he had scene without inhabitant.s, and upon the con- trary part, for what barren and wild groun.l his brethren and ncphewes did murther one another, ho prepared a number of ships, and got with him such men and women as were desirous to Hue in quietnesse ; and taking leauo of his friends, tooko his journey thither- ward agaiue. Therefore it is supposed that he and his people inhabited part of those countreys ; for it appcareth by Francis Lopez de Gomara, that in Acuzamil and other places the people honoured the crosse. Whereby it may bo gathered that Christians had bene there before the coming of the Spanyards. But because this people were not many, they followed the nianers of the land which they came unto, and used the language they foud there. This Madoo, arriving in that Westerne countrey, unto which lie came in the yere 1170, left most of his people there, and returning back for more of liis owne nation, acquaintance, and friends to inhabit that faire and large countrey, wente thither agaiue with 11 < *■* ^" 1 I I't-' "i a ^Hi »■' (■ } 3 i^^H ™ If 5 i li 1 ! 1 i ' 4 1 i^ . i-f, ■ { 111 : 36 THE GREAT AUK, OR GAREFOWL. ten sailes, as I find noted by Guytyn Owen. I am of opinion that the land whereunto he came was some part of the West Indies. Carmina Meredith filij Rhesi mentionem facientia de Madoco filio Oweni Guynedd, & de sua Navigatione in terras incognitas. Vixit hie Meredith circiter annum Domini 1477. (Mr. Hakluyt sayo that he received the following Verses from Mr. William Camden.) Madoc wyf, mwyedic wedd lawn genau, Owen Guynedd ; Ni fynnum dir, fy enaid oedd Na da mawr, oud y moroedd. The same in English. Madoc, I am the sonne of Owen GwyneJd, With stature large, and comely grace adorned : No lands at home, nor store of wealth me please. My minde was whole to search the Ocean Seas. For further information regarding Owen Guyneth and the name Penguin, see p. 132. H mmm ( 37 ) I I ■1/ IV. PROFES^ ' J. STEENSTRUPS REMARKS ON EAST GREENLAND AS AN ANCIENT STATION FOR THE GREAT AUK. IN a letter dated 30th March 1885 Professor J. Steenstrup has kindly sent us the follow- ing information: — "Danells or Granhs Islands may be considered to have been inhabited by the Oeirfugl in ancient times (300 years ago), if these islands really are the same as Gunnbjornsskjoeme, which perhaps may be the case. Even then it must bo remembered that we have only this one visit to the islands recorded (see page 4). During this visit the bird was seen there, and was killed in great numbers. But whether the birds lived there normally, or were accidentally driven to the islands, is quite uncertain.^ From the expedition sent from Denmark to the eastern coast of Greenland, and to Danells or Graahs Islands, we have as yet not heard anything. It will be of interest to hear if they have met with the remains of the Geirfugl? " In the ' Gronlands Ilistoriske Mindesmjerker,' the eastern settlements referred to {the Osterhygd) are considered to have been situated on the coast of Davis Strait, and proved to have been there. " The old settlements of the Norse or the Icelanders in Greenland were all on the southern or most easterly part of the west coast of Greenland, or on the northern or most westerly part of the same coast. Of these settlements, those to the south were named Osterbygd, those on the north Westerbygd. In these localities the remains of numerous ancient settlements have been found. " The supposition of some authors, supported by ' Mayor ' (the voyages of Zeno) and of ' NordenskiiJld,' as to a change of climate, is based on a misunderstanding of old rela- tions (War Bere's)." "When sailing between Iceland and the settlements of Osterbygden, the Gunnbjorns- skjoeme are nearly half-way, but near to the east coast of Greenland. We hope that our (Danish) land expedition, travelling along the eastern coastrline, may have reached them during 1884. ' While attaching the greatest possible vahie to the opinions expressed by Professor Steenstrup, we would respectfully remark that we think the weight of all the accumulated evidence goes to prove that it was only at its breeding-places that the Oarefowl was to be found in such great numbers oa appear to have been seen at Gunnbjornsskjoeme. — S. Grieve. » The Danish Land Expedition, 1884. ^^ 1* ■ I I .1 ( 38 ) .1 P '-! V. CORRESPONDENCE rboardikg the supposed Stuffed Skin of a Great Auk or Garefowl (Alca impennis, Linn), said to have been seen at Reykjavik, Iceland, BY R. Mackay Smith, Esq., and party. (See also page 80.) IN the letter Mr. Smith was kind enough to address to the author on 9th December 1884 (see page 80), he gave the date of his visit to Reykjavik, when he saw this stuffed skin of a Great Auk, as 1858, but finding out afterwards tliat he had made a mistake he wrote us as follows on 8th April 1885 : " The specimen shot by Mr. Siemsen was seen by several members of our party in the first week of July 1855." On the 13th of the same month, Mr. Smith again writes us : " Through the Coiisul-Gcneral for Denmark, at the commencement of the Russian War, I received the presentation of four berths on board the war steamship Thor. These I presented to the late Sir Henry James, Robert Chambers, John Stuart of Abercromby Place, Edinburgh, and James Laurie, a friend of Chambers'. Sir Henry's chief. Sir John llurgoyne, having to go to the Dardanelles, I took Sir Henry's place. The party of four were joined by the late Alexander Allan, and Robert Allan of Hillside Crescent, Edinburgh. " The Tlwr arrived in Loitii Roads on the 18th of June 1885, when wo embarked. " Of these gentlemen Mr. Laurie is the only one of the five surviving. He writes he saw the specimen of the Great Auk along with a number of otlier stufl'cd birds, but evidently he does not remember, for there wa.s no other skin in the house I visited than that of the one in question, whicli stood in the lobby, the left hand as wo entered. He was not aware, nor was I, that this specimen was of much value, which must account for the want of any notes regarding it. Which of the i)arty, all now deceased, accompanied me, I have no recollection, most likely one or both of tlie Allans and John Stuart. " I distinctly remember the statement that the bird was shot by Mr. Siemsen a few years previously ; ho was the principal storekeeper in Reykjavik, and confirmed this, adding that it was at the skerries (which bear the name of this fowl on the maps of Iceland), and that he believed there was .^till another specimen there. When I wrote to you last year I had mislaid the memoranda from which I now write (to lie exact, the memoranda contain no mention of the Garefowl). ' My impression that the Floors specimen was smaller cannot bo insisted upon.' " On the 18th April 1885, Mr. Smith again writes us to correct a mistake as to tho name of the gentleman in whose house at Reykjavik ho saw the stuffed akin. He says : — " Bjarnar Gunnlaugsson was the surveyor for tho maji of Iceland, occupying him a long scries of years. It was at his house I saw tho Great Atik, and not at Olsons. Glass Nicolas Olson directed him as to laying it down on the map. Please correct this mistake ^«p mmmmm i APPENDIX. 39 arising from my not being able to read Icelandic. I discovered it on questioning an Icelander to-day, who also confirmed my recollections of the locality of the surveyor's house and Gunnlaugsson's being the same. Please to inform Professor Newton, for it is important to know whether Mr. Gunnlaugsson was alive when Professor Newton was in Iceland in 1858. I am writing to Iceland to know when Mr. Gunnlaugsson died, and for other particulars." We wrote to Professor Newton, and the following is his answer, dated 21st April 1885, He says: — "I saw Mr. Gunnlaugsson who made the survey of Iceland, and I think more than once. " Mr. Wolley, I remember, applied to him in regard to the precise position of the Geirfuglasker, but among his papers there is only a short memorandum of what passed between them, and that is not to the present purpose. "The old gentleman was perfectly aware of our object in visiting Iceland, and it would indeed be very extraoi'dinary if lie had had in his house only three years before the Bkm of a Garefow], and yet said nothing about it to us ; while, of course, if he had men- tioned such a thing, it is impossible for Mr. Wolley not to have noticed it, or for me to have forgotten it." ii! VI. REMARKS nv R. Champlkt, Esq., on what should be the Attitude given to Stuffed Skins op the Gheat Auk or Gaiibfowl, Alca impcnnis, Linn. TN a letter to the author, dated 29th April 1885, Mr. Champlcy says : "Mr. J. Hancock -L told me there was not one bird correctly stuffed, and he took enormous pains with his own in the Newcastle Museum. All existing stuffed specimens are too stiff in the throat " Writing us again on 1st May 1885, he says : "Mr. Hancock is the best stuffer in the world; no one has studied nature closer. All the birds (i.e. Great Auks) he has seen liavo the neck too stiff. His own specimen has the neck pouclml, so to speak, and not too erect 1 think he is correct. He has offered to re-stuff my own bird, but great care is necessary to soften the skin." On the 2nd May Mr. Champley sent us a rough sketch of what he supposes ought to be the correct attitude of the stuffed skins of tlie Great Auk. Tliere is nothing peculiar about the sketch except the throat, which has in front rather more than half way down from the head a curious projection like a flattened dome. Its gives the appearance to the bird he figures of having a swelling upon its throat, and does not look natural. ( 40 ) ,,,l. t ;' r"'f 1 - ^^ VII. REMARKS uy R. Champley, Esq,, on the Structure of the Shell of the Eoa OF THE Great Auk or Garkfowl, Alra wqiennis, Linn. WRITING to tho author on 1st May 1885, Mr. Champley says : " I do not know wlictlier you have ever placed a portion of tho shell of the egg under a micro- scope. If so, you will have noticed the section is not granulated, but transversely lami- nated, or stratified, if that is the more correct term." VIII. IMITATION GREAT AUK EGGS, the Possibility of theib being Puoduckd in Porcelain. Remarks by R. Champlev, Esq. ON 1st May 1885, Mr. Champley writes as follows to the author :— " I believe attempts will be made to imitate tlie egj,' in porcelain similar to the scent-bottles we see in tho jewellers' shops. The difficulty will be to prevent crackin-,' during tho firing. This may, however, bo an advantage as resembling more closely a cracked egg. I believe, however, it will be possible to make a very close imitation, judging from tlie excellence of tho manu- facture of the smaller birds eggs as above described. •^mmssm^mesm ( 41 ) IX. CORRESPONDENCE Reoardino the Remains of the Great Auk ok Garefowl {Aka impennis, Linn.), Preserved in the Museum of Natural History at Paris. rpiIE following information has been received since the greater part of this work has 1 been printed, so there is no reference to this Appendix at pp. 79, 82, 89, and in the Appendix, pp. 20, 31. As our readers are aware, Mr. R. Chaniploy has been kind enough to look over the proofs of 'leso pages, and observed the statement made by Herr Berger to Professor Wh. Blasius, reierred to at p. 89, regarding the eggs of Aka impennis said to be preserved in Paris. Mr. Champley at once wrote to the Director of the Museum of Natural History at Paris, and in a letter to us, dated 14th May 1885, encloses the reply, dated 5th May 1885, of whicli the following is a translation : " Sir,— You have been good enough to ask me in your letter of 24th April last what is the number of specimens of the Grand Pingouin {Aka impemm), and of the eggs of that species forming part of the collections of the Museum of Natural History. I have the honour to inform you that there is in the closed collections of the Museum one stufl'ed specimen, one complete skeleton, and three eggs of Aka impennis. "Tlie stuffed specimen came from the coasts of Scotland, and was acquired in 1832. One of the eggs came from the same source. The other two eggs came from the New World, and they were acs, 43-45, 76 ; App. 58. Ketilsirn, Ketil, 21, 67. K(\ser, .Mr. R., 121. Kielf, 110. Kjiirbollinj.', App. 5, 19. Kjobeiihavn. liee Copenhaj;en. Kjokkennioddings, 39-41, 100. Klein, 134. Kliinue, llerr Huf^o, App. 28. Koch, Prof. G. \on, 113. Kothen, Aulialt, Germany, 79 ; App. 13. Krisavik, Iceland, 125. Kunz, Herr G. H., App. 33. Kyrkjuvogr, Iceland, 18, 21, 41, 42 ; App. 58. Labrador, 7, 36, 78, 117. Labrador, island olf coast of, App, 66. Ladejj;aarden (or (leirfuglasker proper), 17. Lain^;, Samuel, M.P., 27, 43-45. Latham, General History of Birds, 10,67, 130. Latham, General Synopsis of Birds, 73. Latrabjarg, Iceland, 21 ; App. 55. Laurie, Mr., App. 38. Lausanne, 89, 109 ; App. 28. Lautrum-Fugleberg, App. 1. Leach, Dr., 10, 78. Leadbetter, Mr., 91, 94, 103. Leeds, Eiigland, 78 j App. 14. Leighton, Montgomeryshire, 78; App. 14. Leipzig, Germany, 79, 103 ; App. 14, 15. Leyden, Holland, 8(i, 89 ; App. 15, 29. Lichtenstein, Prol., 79 ; App. 6. Lightfoot, Dr., 72. 126. Lighthouse, Mull of Cantire, 9. Liiford, Lord, 82, 88, 106, 109, 110; App. 30. Lille, France, 79 ; App. 15. Limpet hanmiers, 67. Limpet shells, 51. Linna^au Society Transactions, 24, 27, 43. Linuitus, 13S. Linn. Syst. Nat., 138. Lir,bon, l'(jruigal, 81, 89 ; App. 15, 29. Lister, Mr. Andrew, 109. Lister, Mr. John, 109. Lister, Dr., 109. Liverpool, England, 87 ; App. 29. Lobner, Major, 20. Loch Fada,'52. London, 78, H2, 83, 87, 88, 97 ; App. 15, 29, 30. Longchamps, near Warenne, Belgium, 77 : App. 15. Longchamps, Edmund do Selys, 75, 113. Lorange, Herr A., 121, 123, 124. Lubbock, Sir John, 56. Lund, Sweden, 81 ; App. 15, 16. Luudy Island, Bristol Chaunel, 23 ; App. 57, See Map. '■ m i ) i» > i»ii INDEX. 49 M Macaulay, Kev. Kenneth, 36, 65, 67, 129, 130. Macfiirlnne, Di-. J. M., 52. Macgillivj'ay, 8, 130. Mac>,'re),'or, tlie lute Mr. J., St. John's, 7. Mackenzie, Mr., 24. Mackenzie, Sir George, 119. Maclellan, Mr., 8. Macleod, Malcolm, 24. Macqueen, DoniiUl, 8. M'Cliiitoek, Sir F. Leopold, 25, 26. M'Neill, V.C, Mujor-General Sir John Car- stairs, 48, 82. M'Neill, Mr. Malcolm, 48. Magnusson, 13. Maine, U.S., 30. Mainz, Germany, 79, 91 ; App. 16. Malcolm, John, Esq., 78, 88, 91, 94, 103. Manchester Museum, 95, 109. Mannheim, 91. Manonville, France, 89 ; App. 30. Margaulx, 135-137. Marstranil, Sweden, 23; App. 55. Martin, M., A Voyage to St. Kilda, 8, 30, 65, 76, 119. Massachusetts, U.S., 30 ; App. 53, 58. Masters, Mr., 112. Matdcoptera ivipennis, 139. Maurer Beitrage zur Reclitsgeschiclite des Ger- nianisclien Nordens, 126, Mayor, App. 37. Meclilenburg, Hcrr, tlie hue, 81, 91, 108; Vpp. 25, 33. Meezemaker, M. do, 89. Meilgaard, Jutland, :n, 33, 40, 84 ; App. f)8. Alergu.i AmericaitHs, 138. Metz, Gernuiuy, 79; App. Ui. Mi'yer, Dr. A. R, 100. Michalielles, Dr. C, 81, Mihui, Italy, 81, 82; App. 10. .Milne, Professor John, 29, 30, 50, 82, 84, 85, 90, 99, 101, 102. Milner, Sir F., 88. Milner, the late Sir W., 104. Mingulay, 133. Miquelon, App. 31, 32, 56. Mitthfilungen des Oniitliologischen Vi-reins in Wien, 100; App. 17. Mohr, l;5, 19, 70. Mohring, 139. Moller, Herr, 21. Montagu's Ornithological Dictionary, 10. Montessua, Dr. de, 79 ; App. 9. Morck, 18. Moscow, 110. Mount Desert, 76, 85 ; App. 5?. Miiller, Baron, App. 23. Munch, Mr. P. A., 121, Munich, 80, 91 ; App. 16. Munro, Robert, Esq,, M,A., M.D., 40. Murray, Mr. John, 109. Murray, Mr. W. C, 109, Murs, M. Des, 89, 103. Museum Wormianum seu Historioa Ilerum Rariurum, 67, 70, 138. N Nachrichten von Island, Gronlaiid und dcr Strasse Davis, 19, 127. Naes. See under Nees. Natural History of Bird.-", 67, 132. Natural History of Ireland, 71, 127. Natural History of Norway, 123. Natural History Review, 2, 7, 10, 17, 21, 24 28, 56, 105, 122, 137; App. 5. Natural History Trans, Northumberland, Dm- ham, 27, 43, 62. Naturhistorlsk Tidskrift, 2, 3. Naumann, App. 13. Naylor, Mr., 78; App, 14, Nees, Arendal, Norway, 81 ; App, 17. Neuchatel, Switzerland, 81, 91 ; App. 17. Newcasile-on-Tyne Museum, 63, 73, 75, 78, 84, 88; App, 17, 18, ;!0, 31. Newfounilland, 6, 27, 30, 73, 85, 86, 90, 109, 115, 117, 134, 135, 1.37 ; App. 54, 56, 57. Newfoundland, islands off coast of, 28-30. Newfoundland, bank of, 5, 7, 67, 71, 115,133 • App, 56. Newfoundland, Bishop of, 27-29, 44, Newfoundland, as it was and as it is in 1877, 30, Newton, Professor Alfred, 2, 7, 10, 12, 13, 16-19 21, 22, 27-29, 41, 42, 44, 66, 69, 77-83, 85, 87-89, 93, 94, 96, 101, 102, 105, 107, 110, 122,123,128, 137; App. 8, 11, 30, 39. Newton, Mr. E., 82, 87. New York, 81, 92; App. 19. 2 IJ I $ i I 111 ^1. 5° THE GREAT AUK, OR G A RE FOWL. M ' 1 1 1 1 1 1 ^?l M J Xew Zealand, 89, 90. Nilsson, Professor, 23. Nordenskiold, App. 37. North America, coast of, 27. Norway, 69, 81, 85, 86, 90, 104, 126, 127 ; App. 65, 57. Norway, Old Laws of, 121, 125. Norwich, 78; App. 19. Nova Scotian Institute of Natural Science, 29. Nova Scolian Institute, Transactions of, 29. Nunappleton, England, 88, 104; App. 31. Oddsson, Thorwalder, 21. IMman, Dr., 23, 122, 123. Ohinitahi, New Zealand, 88, 89, 104; App. 31. Oiseaux, 133. Olafsson, E., 11, 12, 15, 16, 19, 20, 66, 118. Olavius, OlauR, 12. Oldenburj,', 80, 89; App. 19, 31. Olsen, Mr., 12, 80, Orkney inga Saga, 46. Orkney Islands, 4, 8, 10, 104, 107, 126, 130. Ornitliolooical Biography, 7, 67, 71. Oronsay, i.iland of, Scotland, 43, 47-57, 59-61, 76, 83 ; App. 58. Orton, Professor James, 30. Osberton, Nottinghamshire, 78 ; App. 20. Osterl)ygd; App, 37. Oversigt over Videnskab, Selskabs, Forliand- linger, 27, 31. Owen, Professor, 2, 44, 53, 82. Oxford, England, 88; App. 31. Papa Westra, 10, 67, 91, 130 ; App. 54, 55. Papplewick, 88 ; App. 31. Paris, 79, 82, 89, 95, 104, 105, 108; App. 20, 31, 32, 41. Parkhurst, M. Anthoine, Letter of, 6, 115, 133, 137. Parmenivs, Steven, 134. Parzudaki, Ai)p, 33. Passler, Herr W., 77; App. 13, 33. Peckhani, Sir Oeorge, Knight, 134. Penguin Island, South Newfoundland, 6 ; Ap]). 2, 54. See Map. Penguin, 131. Penguin Rocks, Ajip. 56. Pennant, 47, 67, 122, 126, 130. PeMiiant'.s Dritisli Zoology, 5, 67, 122. Pennant's Tour through the Western Isles, 47. Perrot, 104. Philadelpliia, U.S., 81, 89, 103; App, 20, 32. Physiological Museum, Copenhagen, 32, Piccioli, Ftrdinand, 99. Piiikertoii, Jolin, General Collection of Voyages and Travels, 119. Pisa, 81 ; App, 20. Plateau, James, 138. Plautm impeimis, 139. Polilmeyer, Herr Director, App. 28. Poltalloch, Argyllshire, 78, 88, 91, 94, 103 ; App. 21, 32. Portland, U.S., 30. Portugal, 81, 89, 90. Potts, Mr. T. H,, 88, 89, 104, 106. Poughkeepsie, US,, 81 ; App. 21. Prague, Pohemia, 73, 77 ; App. 10, 21. Preliistoric Remains of Caithness, 27, 43, 44. Preyer, Professor W., and his Work, 2, 11, 12, 14, 15, 20, 22, 79, 80, 95, 96, 108, 122, 138, 139 ; App. 17, 21. Proceedings Royal Physical Society, Edin- burgh, 80, 93. Proceedings Royal Society, Edinburgh, 2, 8, 21, 112, 118, 128, 133, 134. Proceedings Scottish Society of Anticjuaries, 2, 9,40,45,46,49,65,67,74,76,83, 124, 138. Proctor, Mr., 22, 91, 112. Prodromus der islandischun Ornithologie Ko- penhagen, 13. Prodrom. histor. avium, 134. Puffin, 29, 36. R Raukn, Count, Nysled, 78, 94 ; App. 4. Ilabeii, Count F, C., 17, 18 ; App. 4, 5. Rue, Jolm, 25, 26. Raman, Herr, Ajip. 12. Razor bill, l:)3. Red Indian, 5. Reid, Mr., 22, 91, 90, 103, 104. Reigate, Surrey, 88 ; App, 32. Reindeer, 46, Reinhardt, Professor J„3,22, 36, 70; App. 14, IT, Reise igiennera Island, 12, 118. ; i ■■■■ I INDEX. SI Reise nach Faro, 10. Relics (if the Great Auk on Funk Island, 29, 30. Remnrk.s on East Greenland as an Ancient Station fur the Great Ank, App. 37. Remarks on what should be the Attitude given to Stuffed Skins of the Great Auk, Ajip. 39. Remarks on the Structure of the Shell of tlie Egg of the Great Auk, App. 40. Researches in Iceland (Newton), CG. Reykjanes, 14-20, 22, 127. Reykjavik,12, 13, 19, 20, 21,80,91, 116 ; App.38. Richardson's Fauna Boreali Americana, 70. Eock, Mrs., 77, 87. Eodern, Count, 89, 108. Ross, Mr. Henry, 96. Rowley, Mr. G. F., 87, 88, 104, 106, Rowley, the late Mr. O. D., 87, 92, 104, 106. Roxburghe, His Grace the Duke of, 92, 93. Royal College of Surgeons, London, 102, 105. Royal Society of Sciences, Copei hagen, 41. Russia, 81, 89, 90. S Saga of Burnt Njal, 126. St. Kildn, 4, 8, 24, 36, 65, 74, 76, 118-120, 130; App. 2, 54, 55. St. Kilda, History of, 65, 67, 129, 130. St. Kilda, A Voyage to, 119. St. Lawrence, Bay of, 4 ; App. 2, 53. St. Petersburg, Russia, 81, 89, 110 ; App. 21. St. Pierre, App. 31, 32, 56. Salniin, Mr., 96. Salvadori, T., 100. Sandoe, Island of, Faroe, 84 ; App. 64. Scales, Mr., 88, 107 ; App. 30. Scarborough, Yorkshire, 78, 88, 103 ; App. 21, 22, 33, 34. Kchlegel, Mr. H., 89. SchlUter, HeiT, App. 24. Schneider, ProlV»»(ir Anton, 97. Schullz, Herr Friedricli, 96, 103, 104. Schulze, Herr Th., App. 33. Sihweageichen, Professor Ur., 96. Sclater, Mr. Ph. L, 80, 89 ; App. 15. Scottish National Museum of Antiijuities, 44. Seeland, 39. Selby, Mr., 69. Selniing, Herr, 87, 103. Selvogr, Iceland, 21 ; App. 65. Shavpe, Mr. R. Bowdler, 110. Shell Heai>s, 76, 85. Shetland Islands, 4, 10, 126 ; App. 56. Sibbald MSS., Advocates' Library, Edinburgh, 119. Sibbald, Sir Robert, 119. Siemsen, Herr Carl, 21, 80, 91, 92, 96 ; App. 38. Skandinavisk Fauna, 2. Skai.tal'ells-Sysla, 18. Skirving, Mr. R. Scot, 24, 110. Skye, 24, 25 ; App. 57. See Map. Small, Mr., 109-112. Smith, the late Dr. John Alex., his work, 2, 44-46, 65, 74, 76, 83, 124, 125, 138. Smith, Mr. R. M., 80 ; App. 38. Solager, Seeland, 39, 84 ; App. 58. Stindmor, near Aalesund, Norway, 36, 122, 123 ; App. 57. See Map. Spallanzani, App. 33. S[)itzbergen, 37, 69. Steenstrup, Professor Japetus, 2, 10, 30-35, 37- 41, 56, 66, 69, 72-75, 78, 79, 84, 87, 88, 94, 100, 102, 121, 122, 124-129, 131, 136, ]37, 139, 140 ; App. 1-4, 6, 7, U, 13, 14, 16-19, 23, 28, 37. Slenimata avium, 134. Stevens, 105, 10d- hare been found. Newkoundland. AMERICAN HABITATS. Funk Island, 36 miles north-east by east from Cape Freels. (See p. 27.) United States : State op Maine. Crcwhes Cave near Portland. (Seep. 7G.) Not marked on map. Mount Desert. (See p. 76.) 2 C ii 1 • . ♦ e i* THE GREAT AUK, OR GAREFOWL. i«; If IT' Statb op Massachusetts. Shell Heap near Ipmeich. — " Orton " says, " in shellheaps at Marblohead, Eagle-hill in Ipswich, and Plumb Island." (See note, p. 30.) As we have been unable to dis- cover the exact position of each of these places, we have only marked Ipswich on our map. EUROPEAN HABITATS. British Isles. Keisa, Caithness-shire. (See p. 43.) Oronsai/, Argijleshire. (See p. 47.) Whitburn Lizards, County Durham. (See p. 62.) Denmark. Famierup Randers, Jutland. (See p. 39.) Gudumlund, south side of eastern part of the Limfjord, Jutland. (See p. 39.) Havelse, in Seeland, situated at the soutliern part of the Issefjord. (See p. 37.) Meilgaard Randers, Jutland. (See p. 31.) Solager, in Seeland, northern part of Lsefjord. (See p. 39.) Iceland. Baejasker, near Cape Meykjanes. (See p. 41.) From want of room on the small scale this place is only marked on the enlargement of S.W. comer of Iceland. Kyrkjuvogr, near Cape Reijlg'anes. (See p. 41.) PRINTED BV BALLANTVNB, HANSON AND CO. BDINBUKGH ANI> LONDON. I 1U — 1— I « Chart showing the supposed Distribution of the (AI.CA IMPENNIS, LINN.) ENLARGEMENT OF S W CORNER OF ICELAND EXPLANATION. B.- •'•Mill PlMM. P. PUoM wh«« the an*t An'< nuijr potMu'v bav* bnd. 8. IniUoatM wbar* the iHt iiMolmtn of U* Orwl Auk lua bMa oMaiiMd In moIi looaUtr 0.-8ubm*r|Ml BrMdlng PUc*. D. Douttfun««UtlM whjr. tb. ur... Auk i. uld to hA«o bMn iMn, or SpMmoi obUln^l. or » f{. r\tom whara ramftUu of tb« Onat Auk bare bMD found. DATES ^^Wkjrjj>^UU^^T.n. .t d.n.U. ,b. ,^ of ib. U.t r,^M «Hmm.o, of U.. 0«, >btktiud In Men loMdltr. imn, or RpMUnnu obUlntd, or wkar* It raoordMl oomimnM or ttaa OrMt Ank v.. 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