I20 A HISTORY OF BIRDS 



led to the perpetration of atrocious barbarities. The total ex- 

 tinction of some species, such as Birds of Paradise, Egrets and 

 Humming-birds, will surely come to pass unless legislation 

 steps into the breach, while the reduction of others has already- 

 reached such a pass that their doom is sealed. 



A distinction has been drawn, it will be noticed, between 

 extermination and extinction. The former term is here used to 

 indicate species which have been extirpated over large geo- 

 graphical areas, but still survive elsewhere; extinction marks 

 the final disappearance of that particular species throughout the 

 world, though in most cases extinction has befallen only such 

 species whose range was limited — for the most part island forms. 



The most familiar instance of the extinction of a bird en- 

 joying a fairly wide distribution is that of the Great Auk or 

 Gare-fowl, nearly allied to and closely resembling the Razor- 

 bill, still common along the British coasts. This bird ranged 

 from our shores eastwards as far as Denmark and northwards 

 and westwards to Iceland, Greenland and Newfoundland. Yet 

 it had absolutely lost the power of flight. As large as a 

 Goose — measuring about two feet eight inches in length — its 

 wings were actually smaller than those of the Razor-bill which 

 does not exceed seventeen inches from the tip of its beak to the 

 tip of its tail. Entirely aquatic in its habits, and free from 

 enemies at sea ; the wings slowly degenerated, and it is possible 

 that they would in course of time have completely disappeared, 

 as in the case of the wingless fossil Hesperonis, of the cretaceous 

 epoch. When, however, man appeared upon the scene, and 

 discovered that Great Auks were at least palatable, the fate 

 of this bird was sealed. This war of destruction appears to 

 have been chiefly waged in the neighbourhood of Newfound- 

 land, which was apparently the headquarters of this bird, inas- 

 much as it occurred here in great numbers, as may be gathered 

 from the narratives of the early travellers, according to whom 

 it was much sought after by French fishermen, who victu- 

 alled themselves with, and salted down, the wretched victims. 

 Mr. Howard Saunders records that in A Discourse and Dis- 

 covery of Newfoundland written by Captaine Richard Whit- 

 bourne of Exmouth, in the county of Devon, published in 1620, 

 it is stated that among the Water-fowl, which are very plenti- 

 ful, are " Penguins " which " are as big as Geese and flye not. 



