destruction of the last-known individuals of the species was
even then on the point of accomplishment. Another forty
years have elapsed since the latest authenticated examples
were obtained on Eldey near Iceland, and there can
now be little doubt that this species must be added to the ;
number of those which have been exterminated by the agency
of man ; but inasmuch as the species, so long as it survived, [
was thoroughly entitled to a place in the British list, the
present Edition wTould be incomplete without a notice of it,
albeit ‘ In Memoriam.’
Foremost among the British historians of the Great Auk
is Professor Newton, whose contributions, entitled ‘ An Abstract
of Mr. J. Wolley’s Researches in Iceland concerning
the Gare-fowl ’ (Ibis, 1861, p. 374); ‘ The Gare-fowl and its
Historians ’ (Nat. Hist. Rev. v. p. 467); and articles in the
‘Encyclopaedia Britannica,’ Ed. 9, under ‘Birds’ (Yol. III.),
and under ‘ Gare-fowl ’ (Yol. X.); are alike remarkable for
their condensed information and for their correction of
errors. Yaluable also are the notes ‘ On the Great Auk,’
by Mr. J. H. Gurney, jun. (Zool. s.s. pp. 1442, 1639); Prof.
John Milne’s ‘ Relics of the Great Auk ’ (Field, 27th March,
3rd and 10th April, 1875), giving an account of the writer’s
visit to Funk Island, off Newfoundland, followed by an excellent
sketch of the literature of the subject; and Dr. J.
A. Smith’s ‘ Notice of the Remains of the Great Auk in
Caithness’ (Pr. Soc. Antiq. Scot. xiii. pp. 76-105). To the
above, especially, and to others too numerous for mention,
the Editor has been much indebted in the compilation of the
following, and necessarily brief notice. As regards the
anatomy, Professor Owen’s ‘ Description of the Skeleton of
the Great Auk’ (Tr. Zool. Soc. v. p. 317) is well known ;
and amongst foreign writers the names of Steenstrup,
Preyer, V. Fatio, and Blasius stand conspicuous.
The earliest mention of the Great Auk, under the name
of Gare-fowl, in the British Islands, occurs in the ‘ Account
of Hirta [St. Kilda] and Rona, &c., by the Lord Register,
Sir George McKenzie of Tarbat,’ probably written a little
before Sir R. Sibbald’s brief allusion in his ‘ Scotia Illustrata,’
printed in 1684. In June 1697, ‘ M. Martin, Gent ’
passed three weeks on St. Kilda, and to him we are indebted
for an often-quoted description. In 1758, the
Rev. Kenneth Macaulay states, on hearsay from the natives
of St. Kilda, that “ they do not receive annual visits
from this strange bird as from all the rest in the list, and
many more” ; showing that it was even then becoming
scarce. Low, who died in 1795, says in his posthumously-
published ‘ Fauna Orcadensis ’ (p. 107), that he could not
find that it was ever seen in the Orkneys ; but Bullock, who
visited that group in 1812, was more fortunate, as shown
by the following extract from Montagu (Suppl. Orn. Diet.
App. A):—“ The natives in the Orknies informed Mr.
Bullock on his tour through these islands several years ago,
that only one male had made its appearance for a long time,
which had regularly visited Papa AYestra for several seasons.
The female (which the natives call the Queen of the Auks),
was killed just before Mr. Bullock’s arrival. The King, or
male, Mr. Bullock had the pleasure of chasing for several
hours in a six-oared boat, but without being able to kill him,
for though he frequently got near him, so expert was the bird
in its natural element that it appeared impossible to shoot
him. The rapidity with which he pursued his course under
water was almost incredible.” About a fortnight after Mr.
Bullock had left Papa AYestra, a bird, presumably the
same, was obtained and sent to him, and at the sale of his
collection was purchased for the British Museum, where it
still is.
In 1821, or 1822, Dr. Fleming, who accompanied Mr.
Robert Stevenson on his annual lighthouse inspection, wrote
as follows:—“ AYhen on the eve of our departure [18tli
August] from this island [Glass, more commonly known as
Scalpa], we got on board a live specimen of the Great Auk
(Alca impennis), which Mr. Maclellan, the tacksman of
Glass, had captured some time before off St. Kilda. It was
emaciated, and had the appearance of being sickly; but, in
the course of a few days, it became sprightly, having been
plentifully supplied with fresh fish, and permitted occasion