1854 The Zoologist — October, 1869. 



Alcid^. 



Great Auk, Alca impennis, Linn. — With this species I arrive at 

 the most interesting of Newfoundland birds — once abundant, but now, 

 alas ! I fear extinct, or nearly so. Almost the sole object of ray 

 visiting the island was to collect further information from those who 

 were likely to have met with this bird, — vvhich is called " Pinwing"* 

 by the settlers, and not Penguin, as Audubon informs us, — in a living 

 state, and also, if possible, to visit the islands on the east coast, more 

 especially Funk and neighbouring islands. The latter intention was, 

 however, unfortunately frustrated by the severe accident I met with so 

 shortly after my arrival, and, although I met several old settlers who 

 had seen the living bird fishing in the mouths of Bonne Bay, Bay of 

 Islands and Bay of St. George, none could with certainly tell me 

 when the last was either seen or captured. 1 was, however, informed 

 by some of the settlers that " a living pinwing was caught by one 

 Captain Stirling about twelve years ago," but whether destroyed or 

 not I could not learn : Captain Stirling was drowned and his vessel 

 wrecked some seven or eight 3'ears since. I have no doubt this tale 

 is true in the main ; the only questionable part being the exact date, 

 which, from my experience of these good-hearted people, is just as 

 likely to have been fifteen or sixteen years ago as " about twelve." 

 The fact recorded by Col. Drummond-Hay (' Ibis,' 1861, p. 397) of a 

 living specimen of ^. impennis he\n^ seen on the banks of Newfound- 

 land so recently as 1852, and also of another picked up dead the fol- 

 lowing year in Trinity Bay, goes far to substantiate the statement of 

 the settlers, and, 1 think, to fix the time at about that date. The 

 settlers generally believe that the pinwing is not extinct, but such 

 testimony cannot be of the slightest value, as they have no reason why 

 it should not be so; neither have I, although I fondly — some will 

 perhaps say foolishly — cherish the same belief, except that vessels 

 have no object in going within several miles of the surf-bound and 

 dangerous islands on the southern and eastern coasts, which are the 



* Professor Newton tells me that more tban ten years ago he formed the opinion 

 (from the fact of the operation known as ^^ pinioning" beinjj; called '■'■ ■pin-winging'' in 

 some parts of England) that the name " Penguin,'' or " Piiigwiti" as it is often also 

 spelled, was but a corruption of the word Pin-wing, and had been applied to certain 

 sea-fowl which being unable to fly appeared to have been "pin-winged."' Until quite 

 lately informed by me, he did not know that the Newfoundland name of Alca impennis 

 was so prunounced as to give support to bis theory. 



