CHAPTER III 



VISIT TO ICELAND 



IN the year following his first visit to the West Indies 

 Newton went with John Wolley to Iceland. He had for 

 a long time cherished the idea that the Great Auk, or 

 Gare-fowl as he always preferred to call it, might still 

 survive on some of the skerries off the coast of Iceland. 

 Wolley, always enthusiastic, was very sanguine of success, 

 and in the spring of 1858 they resolved to put their 

 theory to the test. The story of their journey is told 

 in two letters to Edward Newton : 



Reykjavik, May 2, 1858. 



I left Elveden on April 20, and reached Edinburgh 

 on the 21st, where I found Wolley just arrived and in 

 good force. The next morning we got off about 9.30. 

 A perfectly calm day, warm for the time of year, but 

 misty ; the Firth of Forth like glass ; some common sea- 

 birds about but not many, besides Velvet Scoters and 

 Gannets. At sun-down, 8 p.m., we were north of Aber- 

 deen. The next morning (being off the Pentland Firth) 

 was just as still, and we made good speed ; towards 

 afternoon we sighted Fair Island, lying between Orkney 

 and Shetland, and soon after saw the lighthouse on N. 

 Ronaldshay, the land being invisible ; later still we 

 sighted Foula, which we only lost about dark. Only 

 common sea-birds about. On the 24th I saw Fulmars 

 from my port-hole window before I was up. A few 

 "Wheatears joined us and a couple of Pipits appeared. 

 About 1 p.m. we made Sudero, one of the Faroerne ; 

 before long we encountered two Great Skuas the first I 



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