126 BIRDS OF ICELAND 



survived for twenty-seven years its discovery by 

 man. 



In Iceland the Garefowl was nothing like so abun- 

 dant; it seems to have been confined to four or five 

 small southern islands, and not to have visited the 

 mainland at all. These islands were called ' Geirfugia- 

 sker' — Garefowl Skerries — from the bird's presence 

 on them. There was one near Papey in the Beru- 

 fjorSr (south-east) ; one on the Vestmannaeyjar (south); 

 at neither of these do Great Auks ever appear to have 

 been common. Of the other islands, one was the 

 Geirfuglasker off Cape Eeykjanes (south-west), where 

 a considerable number of Auks used to breed, and 

 whence many birds and eggs were obtained ; this 

 island, owing to submarine volcanic disturbances, dis- 

 appeared entirely in the year 1830, and its place is now 

 only marked by beating surf. There is another skerry 

 of the same group, a mile or two farther out to sea 

 than the last, called the Geirfugladrangr, but of this 

 we have very little detailed information; and lastly 

 there is, nearest Cape Eeykjanes, from which it is only 

 about nine or ten miles distant, an island called Eldey 

 (Fire-island) or the Meal-sack, on which a good number 

 of Garefowl used to breed, and upon which the last- 

 known living Auks were killed in the year 1844. 

 They had probably vanished finally from the New 

 World some years previously. The whole history is 

 a miserable tale of reckless destruction and wasteful- 

 ness, and any one who would learn further details is 

 referred to Professor Newton's paper in the Ihis (1861, 



