TUE OARE-FOWL AND ITS HISTORIANS. 481 



and interesting accounts of the wonderful abundance of tlie ' Pen- 

 <^uin ' (as this bird seems always to have been called on the western 

 side of the Atlantic) in the sea about Newfoundland. We have 

 only room here to cite a few of the most important of these notices. 

 Sebastian Cabot, who is usually considered to have been the first 

 discoverer of North America, sighted land, which he called ' Prima- 

 vista,' on S. John's day, 14)97. This land, it seems, was part of 

 Newfoundland, but we find no mention of the particular object of 

 our inquiries for the next forty j^ears. Then as we leani from the 

 account given by llakluyt (vol. iii. p. 168) of " The Voyage of M. 

 Hore and diners other gentlemen, to Newfoundland, and Cape Briton, 

 in the yeere 1536," it is stated that : — 



" From the time of their setting out from Grauesend, they were 

 very long at sea, to witte, aboue two moneths, and neuer touched 

 any land vntill they came to part of the AV est Indies about Cape 

 Briton, shaping their course thence Northeastwardes, vntil they came 

 to the Island of Penguin, which is very full of rockes and stones, 

 whereon they went and found it full of great foules white and gray, 

 as big as geese, and they saw infinite numbers of their egges. 

 They draue a great number of the foules into their boates vpon 

 their sayles, and tooke up many of their egges, the foules they flead 

 and their skinnes were A'ery like bony combes full of holes being 

 flead off" : they dressed and eate them and found them to be very 

 good and nourishing meat." 



About another forty years, and the same authority (vol. iii. pp. 

 172, 173) furnishes us with " A letter written to M. Eichard 

 Hakluyt of the middle Temple, containing a report of the true 

 state and commodities of Newfoundland, by M. Anthouie Parkhurst 

 Gentleman," dated " Prom Bristow, the 13th of Nouember, 1578," 

 in which is this passage : — 



'' There are Sea Guls, Murres, Duckes, wild Geese, and many 

 other kind of birdes store, too long to write, especially at one Island 

 named Penguin, where Avee may driue them on a planke into our 

 ship as many as shall lade her. These birds are also called Pen- 

 guins, and cannot flie, there is more meate in one of these then in 

 a goose : the Prenchmen that fish neere the grand bale, doe bring 

 small store of flesh with them, but victuall themselues alwayes with 

 these birdes." 



Again, from Hakluyt (vol. iii. p. 191) we have in " A report of 

 the voyage and successe thereof, attempted in the yeere of our Lord 



