RAZOR-BILLED AUK 201 



possible to dig out) , the island may be said to be deserted by birds. Only bones 

 of the great auk, a few murres, still fewer razorbills, and a few birds of other 

 species are all that now breed on the island. Sixteen barrels of murre and 

 razorbill eggs have been known to be gathered at one time, and taken to St. 

 John's. On July 23 and 24, aside from those of the Arctic tern, we did not 

 see a dozen eggs. 



Even in Audubon's time the destruction of this species had already 

 begun on the south coast of Labrador and it has continued ever 

 since. Mr. W. A. Stearns (1883) speaks of it as abundant on this 

 coast up to 1882. Mr. M. A. Frazar (1887) found this species still 

 "common everywhere" in the vicinity of Cape Whittle in 1884; 

 "owing to its habit of breeding in less frequented places and conceal- 

 ing its eggs in cracks and crevices among the rocks," it had not been 

 so much disturbed as the murres and was surviving better. But 

 when Doctor Townsend and I visited this region, in 1909, and spent 

 nearly a month cruising all along the coast as far east as Natashquan, 

 we saw in all less than 50 razor-billed auks; a few pairs, seen near 

 Bald Island on June 8 and 9, were apparently courting and pre- 

 paring to breed, but no eggs were found. 



Although razor-billed auks formerly bred abundantly along the 

 north coast of Labrador, they seem to have disappeared even more 

 completely from that region. Mr. Lucien M. Turner, in his unpub- 

 lished notes, says: 



The razorbill is very abundant along the Labrador coast; although, at the 

 season (June 24 to July 26) I was there they appeared to be more plentiful 

 north of Eskimo Bay or Hamilton Inlet. Off Davis Inlet and Nakvak they were 

 very common and long streams of these birds could be distinguished flying far 

 from land and invariably headed to the northward. While passing some of the 

 rugged islets and points I often saw these birds sitting on the rocks or in prox- 

 imity to them. They appeared to be more wary while on the wing than when 

 sitting on the land or water. They associate quite freely with Fratercula and 

 an occasional Larus. They seem to be on most intimate terms with the species 

 of Uria, with which it agrees so closely in habits. 



Mr. Henry B. Bigelow (1902) found them still "abundant all along 

 the coast" in 1900. Doctors Townsend and Allen (1907), who ex- 

 plored the coast as far north as Nain in 1906, say of this species: 



Between Battle Harbor and Nain Fiord north we saw about 84 razor-billed 

 auks, and about 47 on our return south. We saw about 25 flying around an 

 island between Holton and Cape Harrison, and about 40 near a high rocky island 

 a little south of Nain. The "thousands" of bygone years are no more. 



Although I spent the greater part of the summer in 1912, from July 

 5 to August 25, on the northeast coast of Labrador, cruising in a small 

 power boat among the islands much of the time, as far north as Cape 

 Mugford, I failed to see a razor-billed auk north of the Straits of 

 Belle Isle. As I kept a sharp lookout for birds of all kinds, I was 

 forced to the conclusion that the large breeding colonies of the 



