472 ALCIDAL 
AVERAGE MEASUREMENTS. 
TOTAL LENGTH ... ihe car a oem 
WING aE; ae a Oya eas 
BEAK ae ee sey IS Ry 
'TARSO- METATARSUS: a alee 
EGG... Ae re pe ee Oe EO pina 
GREAT AUK. dAlca impennis (Linneus). 
Coloured Figures.—Gould, ‘ Birds of Great Britain,’ vol. v, pl. 
46; Dresser, ‘ Birds of Hurope,’ vol. viii, pl. 620; Lilford, 
‘Coloured Figures,’ vol. vi, pl. 37. 
About sixty years ago, the last recorded surviving speci- 
men of the Great Auk, also known as the Gare-fowl, was 
killed off the coast of Iceland. Since then, there has been 
no substantiated evidence of its existence, though the bird 
has been looked for in many lands by zealous ornithologists, 
and there seems to be not the least doubt that it 1s now 
totally extinct. It would appear that it had already become 
scarce in our Islands for more than half a century before 
its complete extirpation. 
Very interesting accounts have been given by writers 
who were acquainted with the habits of this strange bird 
which in some countries was once common, even plentiful." 
There are but three well-authenticated British-taken 
specimens on record:—One obtained by Bullock in 1818, 
from Papa Westray in the Orkneys; this, an adult male, 
is now in the British Museum. Another was captured 
alive on St. Kilda, and received by Fleming in August, 
1821 or 1822. A third was taken alive near Ballymacaw, 
several miles from the mouth of Waterford Harbour’® in 
May, 1834. This specimen, an immature female, is now 
preserved in the Museum of Zoology, Trinity College, Dublin. 
1 A vast amount of literature has been written on the habits of the 
Great Auk, dealing also with questions on extirpation, the finding of its 
remains, its former geographical distribution, &c., ke. A valuable and 
exhaustive reference of the chief works on this subject is to be found 
in a footnote in Prof. Newton’s ‘ Dictionary Of Birds,’ pp. 308-809. 
* According to Mr. Ussher’s account, this specimen was not taken 
at the mouth of Waterford Harbour, but several miles west of it, 
