GREAT AUK. 171 



restricted to the shores of the North Atlantic, ranging in 

 Europe from Iceland in the north to the Bay of Biscay in 

 the south, while in America it extended from Greenland 

 to Virginia. These southern limits mark, however, only 

 the winter range of the species, which was somewhat 

 migratory in its habits. Its breeding-places were but few, 

 the chief being the rock called Geirfuglasker off the coast 

 of Iceland, and Funk Island on the Newfoundland coast ; 

 both these spots being bare, barren rocks very difficult of 

 access. In spite of its slow increase (but a single egg being 

 laid at a time), the great auk existed in countless numbers 

 on Funk Island, where it was discovered by Cartier in 1534. 

 Here for nearly two centuries it formed an unfailing food- 

 supply for all vessels visiting the neighbouring seas ; and 

 it might have lived till now had not the custom arisen of 

 men being landed on the island to spend the summer in 

 slaying these birds for the sake of their feathers. It is 

 said, indeed, that the auks were actually killed by millions, 

 being first driven into stone enclosures, and then bludgeoned. 

 When the bird disappeared from the American side is not 

 quite clear, although it was probably somewhere about the 

 year 1840. Four years later it had also ceased to exist 

 on the opposite side of the Atlantic, the last European 

 pair having been lulled in the summer of 1844. What 

 led to its rapid and final extermination in Europe was 

 the sudden subsidence of the Geirfuglasker in 1830, 

 which compelled the birds to seek other and more 

 accessible breeding-places, where they were less protected 

 from molestation. The last British example was killed in 

 Waterford harbour in 1834. In addition to bones obtained 

 from Funk Island, the great auk is now represented in 

 collections only by some seventy-six skins, nine skeletons, 

 and sixty-eight egg-shells. 



Before noticing the few remaining birds on our list, we 

 may refer to two South African mammals which are now 

 almost certainly extinct. The first of these is the fine 

 antelope known as the blaubok (Hippotragus leucophceus) , 

 a near ally of the handsome sable antelope and roan 

 antelope, characterized by their large scimitar-like and 

 backwardly-sweeping horns. Indeed, the roan antelope 



