22 NESTS AND BOOS OF 



marvelous than of truthfulness stating that this spot was found on tlie right cide 

 only. The wings, although far too small to sustain the bird in the air, formed an 

 admirable pair of oars, the Great Auk being a most expert swimmer and diver, and 

 performing oven longer migrations than many of its relatives that were endowed 

 with of flight. (Plate CIII.) Many, possibly all, of the Auk family use 



s much as their feet for propulsion under water, and they may 



My be said to i.y beneath the sea as well as over it. It has been noted that the 



'. ity of the Great Auk to fly was due to lack of development of the bones of the 



foream and hand, the hnmorus being proportionately as long as in other Auks. This 



on of structure was directly correlated with the aquatic habits of the 



owl. for the resistance of water being vastly greater than that of air, a wing 



ially adapted for subaquatic flight would demand less surface and more power 

 than a wing formed for aerial locomotion. In the case of the Great Auk this demand 

 was met by shortening the outer portion of the wing, while other birds that use 

 their wings in diving obtain as far as possible the same result by only partially 



::g their wings. The Great Auk was confined to the North Atlantic, ranging 

 on the European side from Iceland to the Bay of Biscay, and on tin- American from 

 Greenland to Virginia, these localities marking the extreme limits of the bird's 

 migrations. Greenland was the habitat of the Garefowl to a very limited extent, 

 and the same may be said of the coast of Norway, while the southern limits given 

 above were reached only during the winter migrations of the bird. The positively 



:i breeding-places were few in number, those where the bird bred abundantly, 

 being the Garefowl Series off the coast of Iceland and Funk Island on the New- 

 foundland coast. These islands, or more properly islets, were very similar in their 

 general character, being isolated rocks, lying at some distance from shore and diffi- 

 cult of access. Of course the reason for this similarity is apparent. The Great 

 Auk and its ergs formed desirable articles of food, and since the bird was helpless 

 on land. 11 My captured, whence it came to pass at an early dale that the 



bird was exterminated at all localities easy of access. Another and more important 

 factor in the extermination of the Auk, especially in America, is to be found in the 

 greg:: its of the bird and its predilection for certain breeding-places. This 



habit of the Garefowl is shown by other birds which are restricted in their breeding 



at without any apparent, reason, although there may be some unknown cause 



in the m.ture of food supply that might account for it. A good example of this is 



\\hich. although a bird of powerful flight, breeds at only three 



t of America, and in Km ope , e North . 



nest i 'C.-ilities seemingly quite as favora! long the Si 



of Norway. Then- wei- -|y plenty of suitable bl -oiinds for the 



Great i Labrador, but had the bird bred in small colonies at lo- 



caliti- :ed along this wide expanse of territory, it would have been in ex- 



istence to Ql Kuropeaii brer din- place ,,f tli. 1 was 



an islet 25 mil- land, where, for many years, it led a somewhat 



times seeming to have been so reduced in nut 



that expedition !. of birds and eggs were not worth the risk. Still the bird 



would have existed in this locality many years longer than it did, but for volcanic 

 disturbances in March. isrv>. during which the fleirfuglasker sank beneath the sea 

 compelling the existing Garefowl to seek new breeding places. Most of (!: 

 to have moved to an islet by the name of Eldey, and this being near the coast and 

 norc accessible, the few remaining Great Auks were in the course of fourteen years 



