SPECIES EXTINCT OR EXTIRPATED. 401 



North American continent, so far as its relations to civilized 

 man were concerned, began in 1497 or 1498, when the adven- 

 turous French fishermen commenced fishing on the banks of 

 Newfoundland. Until that time the Auks, breeding as they 

 were on outlying reef-guarded islands, were comparatively 

 safe from man's interference, for the Indians found a plentiful 

 supply of other birds along the coast, and did not often dare 

 the dangers of these remote and rocky islands in their frail 

 canoes; but the hardy fishermen, coming in from the sea, 

 immediately sought the bird islands for a supply of fresh eggs 

 and meat. At that time these birds were so plentiful that it 

 was unnecessary to provision the vessels, for the fleet could 

 secure all the fresh meat and eggs wanted, without visibly 

 affecting the supply. 



The first available record of a breeding place of the 

 Great Auk in America is that given by Jacques Cartier (first 

 voyage to Newfoundland, 1534). He writes: "Upon the 21 

 of May the winde being in the West, we hoised saile and 

 sailed toward North and by East from the cape of Buona 

 Vista until we came to the Island of Birds, which was 

 environed about with a banke 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 

 unlesse a man did see them, he would thinke it an incredible 

 thing: for albeit the Island (which containeth about a league 

 in circuit) be so full of them, that they seeme to have been 

 brought thither, and sowed for the nonce, yet are there an 

 hundred folde as many hovering about it as within; some of 

 the which are as big as jayes, blacke and white, with beaks 

 like unto crowes: they lie alwayes upon the sea; they cannot 

 flie very high, because their wings are so little, and no bigger 

 than halfe ones hand, yet they do flie as swiftly as any birds 

 of the aire levell to the water; they are also exceeding fat; 

 we named them Aponath. In lesse than halfe an houre we 

 filled two boats full of them, as if they had bene with stones: 

 so that besides them which we did eat fresh, every ship did 

 powder and salt five or sixe barrels full of them." ^ This evi- 



1 Burrage, Henry S., ed.: Early English and French Voyages, Am. Hist. Asso., 1906, p. 5. 



