The Sea-birds’ Nursery 
were quite unable to support the heavy 
body of the bird in the air even for a 
single moment. Then, of course, when 
the birds came ashore to lay, they were 
unable to reach the high rocks where 
they would have been comparatively 
safe, but bad to resort to low islands on 
to which they could walk—or waddle, for 
their legs, right at the end of the long 
body, did not permit of a very elegant 
motion on land. So the great auks 
came toa sad end by being knocked on 
the head by the sailors of those days, 
who packed them into barrels and salted 
them down for food. 
The smaller razor-bill is alive and 
kicking at the present day, because, 
though it isn’t half so powerful as its 
big cousin, the great auk, it can swim 
and dive quite sufficiently to catch 
282 
