GREAT AUK. 



871 



been the one which had been obtained by Mr. Stevenson in 

 St. Kilda, and which had escaped from the Light-house 

 keeper of Phidda. Lastly, Mr, W. Thompson states that 

 one of these birds taken in 1834, off the coast of the county 

 of Waterford, is preserved in the collection of Dr. Burkitt of 

 Waterford. It lived in confinement for some months. 



These are the only notices I am acquainted with in re- 

 ference to the appearance of the Great Auk near the British 

 Islands. It is said to be very rarely seen out of the water, 

 and the female lays her single large egg close above the sea- 

 tide mark. The egg measures four inches ten lines in length, 

 by two inches and nine lines in breadth ; of a soiled white 

 colour, tinged with yellow, blotched and streaked, principally 

 over the larger end, with black. 



The wings in this species are so short that the bird is sup- 

 posed to be incapable of flight, but short wings are admirably 

 adapted for diving, and the Great Auk can swim and dive in 

 perfection. It is considered to feed almost exclusively upon 

 fish, and is said, among others, to prefer the Lump fish. 



M. Nilsson says this species is very rare in Sweden and 

 Norway. In a volume of the Edinburgh Cabinet Library, 

 containing a historical and descriptive account of Iceland, 

 Greenland, and the Faroe islands, it is said, page 405, " The 

 Great Auk, which is the size of a goose, used formerly to be 

 found in these countries. In Landt's time it had, however, 

 become scarce, and at present is almost unknown even by 

 name. According to Graba none have been seen in Green- 

 land, Iceland, or Faroe of late years, so that the race may 

 now be regarded as extinct." No specimen was obtained by 

 our Arctic voyagers upon either of the Northern expeditions. 

 The specimen represented by Edwards, plate 147, was ob- 

 tained at sea, over a fisliing bank, about one hundred leagues 

 from Newfoundland. Mr. Audubon says, " The only authen- 

 tic account of the occurrence of this bird on our coast that 



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