VISIT TO ORKNEY 51 



Westray, and I wished the whole time you had been 

 there. The sloping skbs would admit of a whole 

 regiment of Great Auks landing and marching up in 

 extended line to a place where eggs could be laid in safety, 

 and this at any stage of the tide or almost any conceivable 

 weather — ^for the place is beautifully sheltered by the 

 covering coast of Papa Westray.* 



When, later, his increasing infirmity prevented him 

 from venturing into the confined space of a small yacht, 

 he often suggested to others that they should explore 

 coasts and islands with a view to finding what might 

 appear to have been possible haunts of the extinct bird. 

 In the spring of 1907 Major Barrett-Hamilton f wished 



to visit the islands, as being a possible origin of the 



Great Auk remains found in Ireland, and as a matter of 

 course he applied to Professor Newton for advice. 



I am very glad you have seen and arranged with 

 Ussher for a trip to those islets, also that for you it will 

 not be so difficult a business. Now as to " minute 

 instructions " for which you ask, beyond desiring you to 

 rim into no danger — ^and that is a positive order, not to 

 be neglected on any account — ^I don't know what there 

 is to be said. 



The question to ascertain is whether these rocks may 

 have been (as Ussher suggests) a sufficient resort for the 

 Gare-fowl, at any time of the year, but breeding season 

 (the middle of May) especially, to make it worth while 

 of the old kitchen midden people to have visited them and 

 got thence the plunder of which Ussher has found the 

 remains. Otherwise it is difficult to understand where 

 their birds could have been got. From what we know 

 elsewhere, Gare-f owls are stupid and easily taken on land, 

 but hard to approach at sea, and granting that the men 

 had bows and arrows, they would not get them very easily. 



* Letter to J. A, Harvie-Brown, July 1, 1898. 



t G. E. H. Barrett-Hamilton, M.A., of Trin. CoU., Camb., author of 

 " British Mammals." Died, South Georgia, 1914, 



