354 TRANSACTIONS LIVERPOOL BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



grandfather was at that time a young 1 unmarried man, 

 probably (as the St. Kildans used to marry early) about 

 23 years of age, and he died in 1897 at the age, it is said, 

 of 90. This would make the incident of the Great Auk 

 happen about the year 1830. The date is, of course, only 

 approximate, and if we allow of an over-estimation of five 

 years in the old man's age at death, we should get the 

 year 1835. Probably enough we might put the date 

 of the occurrence somewhere between those two years. 

 The bird has never been seen in St. Kilda since. I may 

 add that Stack an Arniin slopes gradually up from the sea 

 on one side, and would have been a quite suitable 

 place for a Great Auk to have taken refuge on 

 under stress of bad weather. It is, of course, 

 a historic fact that the Great Auk at one time 

 bred in St. Kilda. Both Martin (3) and Macaulay (4) 

 refer to it in unmistakable terms, and their information 

 could only have been gathered on the spot. It is evident, 

 however, that the bird must have discontinued its visits 

 for many years, or at least have become a very great rarity 

 before the date of the incident just related, as otherwise 

 the natives would not have been so impressed with its 

 arrival. 



The day after my visit to Stack Lii, I was fortunate in 

 being able to land on Levenish, as owing to the conflicting 

 currents which meet around this rock, it is a difficult place 

 to sret a footing 1 on, even in calm weather. On the side 

 lacing St. Kilda this Stack is quite perpendicular, but it 

 slopes away gradually on the opposite side, and is there- 

 fore at that part quite easy to climb when a landing baa 

 once been effected. There are numerous broad ledges on 

 the perpendicular face of the rock, which are tenanted by 

 crofwds of Guillemots, and several pairs of Great Black- 

 backed (lulls nest on and below the grassy top ; but what 



