Birds. 8111 



has a practical knowledge on Ornithology, I cannot consent to his 

 opinion that the bird he shot was a great auk.* 



Were I about to give a full and detailed account of the gare-fowl, I 

 should think it best to divide the evidence collected into two classes 

 — (I.) that which may be considered documentary, and (II.) that which 

 is merely oral ; again separating this latter into (1) what is only tra- 

 ditional, and (2) what has actually come to my informant's personal 

 knowledge. In the present case, however, I believe it will be most 

 convenient to take the various matters as far as possible in the order 

 of the time to which they refer. But I must first enter upon a brief 

 description of the localities to which I shall have to allude. 



Any person who will take in hand the beautiful map of Iceland, 

 executed by Herr O. N. Olsen from the surveys of the veteran Bjora 

 Gunnlaugsson, and published in 1844, under the auspices of the Ice- 

 landic Literary Society, will find the name " Geirfuglasker" (gare- 

 fowl skeny) occurring in three different places. The most eastern is 

 situated some thirty miles from the coast, off" the island of Papey, and 

 the entrance of Berufjordr, about lat. 64'^ 35' N., and long. 26" W. 

 (of Greenwich), and is commonly known to Danish sailors as Hvals- 

 bak (Whale's-back). The most southern is one of the Vestmannaey- 

 jar (Westman Islands), in about lat. 63° 20' N., and long. 33" 5' W. 

 The most western is off Cape Reykjanes, in about lat. 63" 40' N., and 

 long. 35" 50'. W. It was accordingly our first object to ascertain 

 how far these spots now deserved the name they bore. On making 

 all the inquiries we were able on our arrival at Reykjavik, we could 

 obtain no recent information respecting the eastern skerry, of which 

 we had, at starting, entertained most hopes. It appeared also that, 

 of the travellers who in the last century had published accounts of 

 their journeys in Iceland, Olafsen and Olavius only had alluded to 

 this isolated rock as a station for the bird, f though another of them, 

 the Faeroese, Mohr, was in 1781 for no less than two months at 

 Djupivogr, on the mainland opposite, engaged in the pursuit of 



* I may add, that near Wardoebuus, between tlie fortress and the shore of the 

 inlet (Vest-Vaagen), on a raised sea-beach, is a vast bed of bones, chiefly those of 

 birds, but mingled with them a few seals'. We brought away a considerable quan- 

 tity of specimens ; and on some other occasion I may probably give an account of 

 them ; but I am sure that they do not include a single fragment which could pos- 

 sibly be a gare-fowl's. 



t ' Reise igiennem Island, &c. af Eggert Olafsen.' Soroe, 1772, p. 750. ' Oeco- 

 nomisk Reyse igiennem de nordvestlige, nordlige, og nordostlige Canter af Island ved 

 Olaus Olavius, &c.' Kjobenhavn, 1780, ii. p. 547. 



