478 THE NATUEAL HISTORY REVIEW. 



very great misgiviugs as to the existence of M . Prcyer's " Geirfiig- 

 lasker lY." — off tlie Breidamerkursandr — wbicli is not laid down 

 upon any chart of Iceland that we have seen, and we are strengthened 

 in our suspicion by Professor Steenstrup's suggestion (pp. 115, 116), 

 which has been overlooked by M. Preyer, that the statement of Olafseu 

 — who alone mentions it — originated in a mistaken notion as to the 

 true position of the ske?Ty off Breiddalsvik, the " Geirfuglasker III." 

 of M. Preyer. This last locality, about the existence of which 

 Professor Steeustrup, when he wrote could get no confirmation, was 

 circumnavigated in 1858 by a young Icelander, whom Wolley des- 

 patched for that purpose. 



The sum of the ascertained particulars of the Gare-fowl in 

 Iceland is this. — Off the coasts of that island there were three 

 skerries, each known by the name of ' Geirfuglasker,' on all of which 

 we may presume that it formerly bred. The first of these lying to 

 the South-East, was probably rendered desolate many years ago, no 

 tradition of its having been occupied by the bird now existing among 

 the natives of the opposite shore. Prom the second, one of the 

 Vestmanneyjar, the Gare-fowl has apparently been long driven. 

 Though traditions of the bird lasted until a generation ago, it may 

 be inferred with justice, even about the year 1800 to have become 

 very rare there. The last and best known Gare-fowl- skerry, lying 

 off Eeykjanes was on clear evidence exceedingly productive of these 

 birds for some part of the last century. In 1732, expeditions to this 

 islet, which had been discontinued for twenty-five years, were resumed, 

 and kept up for several seasons, till from some cause or other they 

 again fell into disuse about 17G0. In 1813, the crew of a Paeroese 

 vessel, becalmed near the skerry, made a descent upon it, and slaugh- 

 tered a large number of Gare-fowls. At the end of June, 1821, 

 Paber, the well known Paunist of Iceland, set out for the rock with 

 some companions, one of whom, Count P. C. Eaben, a Dane, landed 

 upon it, but whether the birds had already completed their season's 

 work or what, it is certain that no examples of Alca impennis were 

 seen. Yet this very same year two birds were shot on the shore of 

 the mainland (as others had often been before) not very far off, so 

 that the breed was still existing on this station. In the spring of 

 1830, a submarine eruption took place off Reykjanes, during which 

 the skerry completely sank under water, and, immediately after, a 

 colony of Gare-fowls was discovered on another rock lyiiig nearer 

 the maiuland, and known as Eldey. In the course of the next four- 



