372 ALCAD.E. 



I possess, was obtained from Mr. Henry Havel], brother of 

 my engraver, who, when on his passage from New York to 

 England, hooked a Great Auk on the banks of Newfound- 

 land, in extremely boisterous weather. On being hauled on 

 board it was left at liberty on the deck. It walked very 

 awkwardly, often tumbling over ; bit every one within reach 

 of its powerful bill, and refused food of all kinds. After 

 continuing several days on board it was restored to its proper 

 element. When I was at Labrador, many of the fishfcrmen 

 assured me that the Penguin, as they name this bird, breeds 

 on a low rocky island to the south east of Newfoundland, 

 where they destroy great numbers of the young for bait ; but 

 as this intelligence came to me when the season was too far 

 advanced, I had no opportunity of ascertaining its accuracy. 

 In Newfoundland, however, I received similar information 

 from several individuals. An old gunner residing on Chel- 

 sea Beach, near Boston, told me that he well remembered 

 the time when the Penguins were plentiful about Nahant, 

 and some other islands in the bay."" 



In summer- plumage the bill is black, very strong, com- 

 pressed, and marked with several lateral furrows ; the irides 

 reddish-brown ; between the beak and the eye an oval patch 

 of white ; head, chin, and throat, hind neck, back, wings, 

 and tail black ; the ends of the secondary wing-feathers 

 white ; breast, and all the under surface of the body white ; 

 legs, toes, and their membranes black. The whole length 

 of the bird thirty-two inches ; the wing from the wrist to the 

 end of the longest quill-feather seven inches ; of the longest 

 feather alone but four inches and one quarter. 



Dr. Fleming's specimen obtained in winter, had the chin, 

 throat, and front of the neck white. Mr. Fox, in reference 

 to the specimen in the Newcastle Museum, says, " Our bird 

 is apparently a young one, the neck black, spotted, or 

 mottled with white ; upper mandible of the bill with one 

 large sulcus at the base, none at the tip." 



