.1887-88.] Recent Notes on the Great Auk. 



107 



A word regarding the food of the Great Auk, and in support of the 

 statement made by Fabricius that the lump -fish {CydofUrm lumvus) 

 formed an important item in its bill of fare. While the lump-fish is 

 rather rough to look upon, the bones are extremely brittle, and the strong 

 beak of the Garefowl would slice through the body of any specimen i't 

 might have captured as easily as the knife of the Eskimo does throucdi the 

 body of the lump-fish he dries or freezes for his winter store. The youn^ 

 lump-fish-and these would be most dainty morsels-keep near the surface 

 ot the water, and seek concealment in patches of floating rock-weed Avhere 

 they would easily have been detected by the keen eye of a sea-fowl ; while 

 being but indifferent swimmers, there would be no safety in flight. ' 



KEMAINS OF THE GKEAT AUK. 



The skins, bones, and eggs of the Great Auk are of con- 

 siderable value, and the historians of this bird, whoever they 

 are, will iind it no easy matter to hear of all the changes that 

 take place in ownership, so that they may be recorded. Much 

 has been already done in recording all existing remains of the 

 Great Auk, and the first place in this department of alcine 

 work deservedly falls to Professor William Blasius of Bruns- 

 wick. Since 1885, when I completed my former list, much 

 interesting information has come into my hands, mostly the 

 result of a large correspondence with numerous individuals 

 both in Europe and America. I am most anxious to place as 

 much of the information as possible on record, but space will 

 only permit of my doing so in a curtailed form. I will first 

 refer to matters connected with skins of the bird, then of the 

 skeletons and separate bones, and afterwards to the ecrag I 

 will not attempt to give a detailed list, as I did in my^book 

 but will only mention matters that have come to my know- 

 ledge since then, and which I think worth recordino- I there- 

 fore append a summary of the total remains now known. 



T-, ^ Shins. 



JiRiTisH Isles. 



Boyle Court, Essex, is the proper address of Mrs Lescher, who has a 

 specimen of the Great Auk. In my book, by a printer's error, the 

 name appeared as Boyne Court. ' 



Clungunford House, Aston-on-Clun, Shropshire. -The specimen me 



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. ierf.. Museum ot Pliilosophical Society.-I am indebted to Mr 



