IN THE HANCOCK COLLECTION. 128 



Case 



No. 3 (upper left). Changing from summer to winter. 



From Old Museum Collection. 



,, 4 (upper centre). Summer plumage. Northumberland 



Coast. From Old Museum Collection. 



5 (upper right). Winter plumage. Northumberland 



Coast. From Old Museum Collection. 



6 (lower right). Young. First plumage. Head black. 

 Shot by J. Hancock, at St. Mary's Island, Aug. 1835. 



Remark. Mr. ft- E. Bewick went into the sea and 



brought the bird out. J. H . 



[129. In large adjoining Case.] 



129. Great Auk. Alca impennis, Linn. 

 No. 1. Immature. Assuming winter plumage? 



From the Wycliffe- Allan Museum, 1S22. 



From Old Museum Collection, 1884. 



Remarks.— Young bird in a changing state of plumage. 



In 1863 it was re-stuffed by John Hancock, when the 



bones of the head, wings, and feet, which are shewn on 



the right hand in this case, were removed. J.H. 



This Wycliffe example of the Great Auk seems to be a 

 young bird of the year acquiring the winter plumage, and 

 it is at present the only one known in that dress. It is 

 most probable that the very young bird had the first feathers 

 of the head black as in the summer plumage of the adult, 

 and as in the young of the Razorbill. Mr. Symington 

 Grieve has, I think, given a figure of a young Great Auk 

 in that state of plumage, that is with the head entirely 

 black. Ed. See Note on Great Auk, p. 138. 

 No. 2 (left). Upper Mandible of Great Auk. 



Remark. — This bone was picked out of a collection of 

 bones of Mammals, Birds, and Human remains which 

 were found in a cave at Marsden, in the month of April, 

 1878. This is probably the most Southern locality in 

 Europe where the remains of this extinct bird have been 

 found. The Society is indebted to John Daglish, Esq., 

 Marsden, for the collection of bones from the Caves at 

 Marsden, coast of Durham near Sou L Shields. J.H. 



