BREEDING-PLACE OF GREAT AUK 37 



prising fellow went there and took 8 Great Auks out of a 

 considerable number, the greater part of which escaped 

 as the men did not know the dodge of catching them, 

 which after all amounts only to going very quietly. 

 Shortly after this, in the spring of 1830, a submarine 

 eruption took place, and the true Geirfuglasker sank 

 (whether any part of it is still above the surface is doubt- 

 ful). Since then the Meal Sack has only been visited and 

 with varying success ; one year (probably 1831) 24 

 were taken there and their skins sold to merchants at 

 Keblavik. In 1846, our present landlord and leader 

 went to the Meal Sack and took two birds ; one egg — ^if 

 not two — ^was seen but was accidentally broken, and we 

 cannot make out that the bird has since been seen by 

 any one. The rock has been since visited at least twice, 

 one year in August, which was, of course, far too late to 

 find the bird, and last year people went but were unable 

 to land ; the leader of that expedition is extremely 

 anxious to go again this year, though he declares he saw 

 nothing last time. It seems pretty certain that the bird 

 is very irregular in its visits, sometimes keeping away 

 for several years in succession, so that there is still just a 

 hope. When Faber was here some thirty years ago, he 

 cruised for three days ofi the old Geirfuglasker ; they 

 were unable to land, but he says he could see every bird 

 on the rock and there was not a Gare-fowl among them ; 

 now it is clear that long after his time there were several 

 successful captures made there, and it has happened in 

 the same way at the Meal Sack. It is very singular that 

 we cannot make out that more than half a dozen, if so 

 many, eggs have been taken here within the last thirty 

 years. The merchants, though they have given large 

 sums for the birds, have never cared much for the eggs, 

 and it is a mystery to us where all the eggs have come 

 from that are in collections, unless indeed they have 

 been from the Eastern islet to which Mr. Magnussen has 

 gone, and where they may have been obtained by French 

 fishing vessels, of whom there are a great number on 

 that coast. All accounts agree in saying that on land 



