Proceedings. 55 



are gone and takes wing, but, finding bis mistake, comes back 

 again before you can fire ! Tbis I bave seen. Now and again 

 at long intervals a cbance presents itself to a man ; be is, 

 perbaps, at tbe time wben be first catcbes sigbt of tbis 

 opening, in adversity, going down bill indeed, and one of 

 tbe conditions of tbe proposed fortune is an entire revolution 

 in bis babits of life or manner of conducting bis business ; be 

 sbrinks from all tbe cbange involves and succumbs, or 

 seizes tbe opportunity and rises. Precisely analogous was 

 tbe bistory of tbe Great Auk. Like most of tbe sea-fowl, it 

 spent eleven montbs of tbe year on tbe ocean and one upon 

 land, returning year after year to its favourite breeding- 

 baunt; tbis was its doom; its annual appearance at tbe well- 

 known spot was waited for, its eggs taken, it was driven into 

 pens and knocked on tbe bead, it was sbot at and bunted 

 down, but it still clung to its traditional breeding-sites. It 

 was exterminated in tbe Baltic, on tbe coast of Caitbness, on 

 tbe coast of Labrador, in tbe Hebrides ; but bad tbe tbirty or 

 forty birds left on tbe Iceland Skerry but made up tbeir 

 minds to separate tbey migbt bave bred and multiplied. 

 Suitable sites for tbe one great egg must bave existed in 

 plenty around tbe sbores of Nortbern Europe and America ; 

 but tbey refused to alter tbeir babits, kept togetber, and 

 perisbed. 



As a contrast consider tbe Greater Shearwater, a bird not 

 so well adapted to its circumstances as was tbe Great Auk, 

 since it bas never been anytbing but extremely rare during 

 tbe last century ; but owing to its solitary babits notbing 

 whatever is known of its nest and egg, and it may conse- 

 quently maintain itself in peace. 



That sucb a cbange of babits as would bave saved tbe 

 Great Auk from extinction is not beyond tbe compass of a 

 bird's intellect we may see from tbe suddenly changed manners 

 of some of our own native species ; thus tbe Stock Dove had 

 nested in rabbit-holes on the warrens of Norfolk from time 

 immemorial. About fifty years since it was found necessary 

 to cultivate these sandy wastes, and as a preliminary step 

 hedges were planted and rows of young timber set to act as 



