6886 Birds. 



the same ill success attended his visit, the same year, to the other 

 habitat of the great auk, near the Westmann Islands. The fishermen, 

 however, in many parts of Iceland, maintained that they saw the bird 

 every year upon the coasts. They seemed to know it well, for they 

 vrere perfectly aware of its inability to fly, and believed it to be blind, 

 from a flap of skin that hung down over its eyes, an idea undoubtedly 

 derived from the remarkable eye-spot so conspicuous on the summer 

 plumage. 



In the summer of 1813 a vessel from Faroe was becalmed off the 

 Geirfugi Skjaer, at Reykianes. The crew, observing the rocks close 

 by to be free from surf, put out their boat, and, landing on the islet, 

 found on it a number of great auks. Of these birds they knocked 

 down with their sticks and secured between twenty and twenty-five 

 individuals, and drove the rest into the sea. One of the birds was 

 taken alive, and brought to Bishop Vidalin, at Reykiavik, who had 

 the specimen stuffed, and sent it to a friend in England. The others, 

 I regret to say, were sold on the spot, and eaten, in the succeeding 

 year (1814) seven of these birds were killed by a peasant at Lautrum 

 bird-cliffs, on the north-west coast of Ireland. They had scrambled on 

 to the low ledges at the foot of the bird-cliff, and were there overtaken 

 by their captors. One of them, before it was taken, bit a boy so 

 severely through the sleeve of his calf- skin jacket that the blood ran 

 down his arm. 



The farmer on the Westmann Islands informed Faber that about 

 the year 1800 he caught the only bird of this species he had ever 

 seen, at the bottom of the cliffs on those islands. It was sitting on 

 its egg, which he correctly described to Faber as being nearly equal 

 in size to that of the wild svran, and in form and colour exactly 

 resembling that of the razorbill. 



In 1823 two great auks were killed on a low rock near the trading 

 station of CEiebakke, on the southern coast of Iceland. 



In 1830 and 1831 not less than twenty-seven specimens were 

 obtained on the Reykianes habitat ; and from that time till 1840 

 about half-a-score were obtained in the same locality. 



The last birds taken in Iceland were a pair, male and female, 

 which were shot in 1844, at their nest, on a little islet near to 

 Reykianes. 



Of the great auk's appearance in our own British seas during the 

 present century, there have been but very few instances indeed. 

 Besides the specimens obtained in Orkney by Mr. Bullock, one was 

 captured in 1822, in St. Kilda; and the most recent instance on 



