370 ALCAD.f;. 



islands several years ago, that only one male had made its 

 appearance for a long time, which had regularly visited Papa 

 Westra for several years. The female, which the natives call 

 the Queen of the Auks, was killed just before Mr. Bullock's 

 arrival. The King, or male, Mr. Bullock had the pleasure of 

 chasing for several hours in a six-oared boat, but without 

 being able to kill him, for though he frequently got near him, 

 so expert was the bird in its natural element that it appeared 

 impossible to shoot him. The rapidity with which he pur- 

 sued his course under water was almost incredible." About 

 a fortnight after Mr. Bullock had left Papa Westra, this 

 male bird was obtained and sent to him, and at the sale of 

 his collection was purchased for the British Museum, where 

 it is still carefully preserved. 



Dr. Fleming has noticed one taken at St. Kilda, an island 

 of the Outer Hebrides, in the winter of 1822. Another was 

 taken there in 1829, but afterwards escaped from confine- 

 ment. Mr. John Macgillivray, who visited the islands of the 

 Outer Hebrides in July, 1840, says, " The Great Auk was 

 declared by several of the inhabitants to be of not unfrequent 

 occurrence about St. Kilda, where, however, it has not been 

 known to breed for many years back. Three or four speci- 

 mens only have been ever procured during the memory of the 

 oldest inhabitant.'" 



The authors of the catalogue of Norfolk and Suffolk Birds 

 include a notice of one specimen killed near Southwold, on 

 the authority of Sir William Jackson Hooker. Mr. Bullock 

 told Dr. Fleming some years ago that a specimen was taken 

 in a pond of fresh water, two miles from the Thames, on the 

 estate of Sir William Clayton, near Marlow, in Buckingham- 

 shire. Dr. Edward Moore, in his catalogue of the web- 

 footed birds of Devonshire, refers to a specimen of this bird 

 which was picked up dead near Lundy Island in the year 

 1829, and which Professor Jameson suggested might have 



