244 The Great A uk. [Sess. 



added to the literature upon the Great Auk, but at least two 

 important and interesting papers deserve notice. The first 

 came from the pen of Mr Frederic A. Lucas, osteologist, of 

 the United States National Museum, Washington. It was 

 published in 1890 by the Government Printing Office, 

 Washington, from the report of the National Museum, 

 1887-88, pp. 493-529. It is entitled "The Expedition 

 to Funk Island, with Observations upon the History and 

 Anatomy of the Great Auk." The paper is illustrated with 

 several plates, and contains a map of Funk Island, showing 

 the landing-places, and also the part of the island at which 

 the remains of the Great Auk are found. There are also 

 interesting diagrams in connection with remarks on " Skeletal 

 Variations of the Great Auk." Much information is given 

 regarding the Bird Islands in the Gulf of St Lawrence, as 

 well as Funk Island, off the coast of Newfoundland, and other 

 probable breeding- places. In a note to p. 494 Mr Frederic A. 

 Lucas refers to Apponath as a name for the Great Auk. He 

 says, " The name Apponath, according to Carthiers, was applied 

 by the natives to a species of bird, supposably the Great Auk, 

 that he found in great abundance at the Island of Birds 

 (Funk Island)." These natives were very likely the Beothucs, 

 although, making due allowance for the twists which a word 

 receives in being adopted into a new language, the term 

 Apponath may have come from the Eskimo word agpa, an 

 auk. The Eskimo for the Great Auk was isarohitsok, " he 

 that has little wings " ; for Little Auk, agparak. For further 

 information on the name Apponath see ' The Great Auk : its 

 History, Archaeology, and Remains,' p. 135. Crantz's 'History 

 of Greenland,' vol. i. p. 84, says, " Ahpa, vulgarly called awks." 

 The second paper appeared in the ' Journal of Anatomy 

 and Physiology,' vol. iii. Part I., October 1888, pp. 1-39, and 

 is written by R W. Schufeldt, M.D., C.M.Z.S. The paper is 

 illustrated by five plates. It is entitled " Contributions to the 

 Comparative Osteology of Arctic and Sub- Arctic Water-Birds." 

 The observations upon the osteology of the Great Auk are 

 founded upon a study of two of the skeletons that have been 

 built up from bones collected at Funk Island by the Grampus 

 expedition. Illustrations of the osteology of Aha torda Linn, 

 are given on plates i. and ii. for comparison. 



