482 TUE NATURAL niSTORY REVIEW. 



1583 by Sir Ilumfrey Gilbert knight, &c., written by M. Edward 

 Haies gentleman, &c." — 



" "We had sight of an Hand named Penguin, of a foule there 

 breeding in abundance, almost incredible, which cannot Hie, their 

 wings not being able to carry their body, being very large (not 

 much lesse then a goose) and exceeding fat : which the French men 

 vse to take without difficulty vpon that Hand, and to barrell them 

 vp with salt. But for lingering of time we had made vs there the 

 like prouision." 



This report of the French practice just mentioned, is confirmed 

 in a singular manner by many other records which Professor Steen- 

 strup cites, among others by the narrative of Jacques Cartier's Third 

 Voyage, in 1540. The account is also printed in Ternaux-Com- 

 pans' ' Archives ' (vol. i. pp. 125, 126), but it does not seem to us quite 

 certain that the " Apponath "* may not have been some other species 

 of Alcidce. After speaking of the incredible abundance of birds at 

 the so-called " Isle des Oyseaux," near Cape Bonavista, the writer 

 goes on to observe, " neantmoins il y en a cent fois plus a I'entour 

 d'icelle, et en I'air que dedans, desquels les vns sont grands comme 

 pies, noirs & blancs, ayans le bee de corbeau : ilz sont tousiours en 

 mer, et ne peuvent voler haut, d'autant que leurs ailes sont petites, 

 point plus grandes que la moitie de la main, avec lesquelles toutefois 

 ilz volent auec telle vistesse a fleur d'eau, que les autres oyseaux en 

 I'air. Ilz sont excessiuement gras, et estoient appellez par c'eux du 

 pais Apponath^ desquelz noz deux barques se chargerent en moins de 

 demiheure, comme Ton auroit peu faire de cailloux, de sorte qu'en 

 chasque nauire nous en fismes saler quatre ou cinq tonueaux, sans 

 ceux que nous mangeasmes frais." 



It would be easy to continue the series of similar accounts, 

 which as we have said Professor Steenstrup has collected and reprinted 

 with singular industry. One of them speaking of the birds says, it 

 " n'estoit question que d'entrer en terre, et les toucher deuanfc soy 

 aux basteaux, ainsi que moutous a la boucherie, pour les faire entrer;" 

 another, " il y en a de certaines especes qui ne peuuent presque voler, 

 et qu'on pent aisement assommer a coups de hastens, comme auoient 

 faiet les Mattelots d'un autre nauire, quis auant nous en auaient 

 emply leur chalouppe, plusieurs tonneaux des oeufs, qu'ils trouuerent 



* This word is albo spelled " Aponars," and Professor Steenstrup suggests that 

 it is a French corruption of " Harpooner." 



