Birds. 



8121 



We now come to the most modern period in the great auk's history. 

 In 1830, as I have before said, the Geirfuglasker off Reykjanes dis- 

 appeared beneath the waves. Whatever motive prompted him, it is 

 certain that in that year one Brandur Gudmundsson, an inhabitant of 

 Kyrkjuvogr, who died in 1845, bethought him of making an expedition 

 to Eldey, or the Mealsack, the high rock which stands between the 

 sunken island and the Cape. All the dwellers in the district concur 

 in saying that before that time no rumour of the birds breeding there 

 had ever reached them. It seems that in that year he led two voyages 

 to this new-found locality, in one of which twelve or thirteen, and in 

 the other eight examples were captured. Six of these were purchased 

 by Adnor Gunnarsson, and as many more by Holgeir .lacobaeus, two 

 merchants living at Keblavik, while the remainder are unaccounted for. 

 On the first occasion the weather was fine, and all the party but two 

 landed. Besides the gare-fowls they took a great many other birds, 

 razorbills and guillemots. The second time the weather was bad, and 

 onl} r four men went up. They had to come away very quickly. These 

 and many other particulars of interest which I could give, were I not 

 afraid of extending these notes to an unreasonable length, were related 

 to us by two men (brothers), Stephan and Jon Gunnarsson, the only 

 survivors of those who were present. The following year another 

 voyage was undertaken by the same foreman, and whether that the 

 birds were more numerous, or that their persecutors had learned 

 experience (for on the previous occasions several had escaped), twenty- 

 four were captured, of which one was brought off alive, and so taken 

 to Keblavik, where, however, it was killed, or at least died. These 

 two dozen gare-fowls were all skinned by one person, a woman, Sigrida 

 Thorlaksdotter, who told us that she performed the operation in her 

 accustomed way, opening them under the right wing, and stuffing the 

 skins with fine hay. The same merchants as before, with the addition 

 of Dethlef Thomsen, shared them. It is not very easy for me to 

 reconcile the various conflicting statements about the captures of the 

 next two years, but in 1833 thirteen birds were probably taken, and in 

 1834 nine birds, with eight eggs, seem to have been obtained, of which 

 one bird was given to the Crown Prince (the present King of Den- 

 mark), who then happened to be in Iceland, and subsequently passed 

 into the possession of the late Herr Mechlenburg. The remaining 

 eight were purchased by Herr Thomsen, just mentioned, whose son 

 most obligingly showed Mr. Wolley an account of the transaction in 

 his father's books. They were skinned by Madame Thomsen and her 

 sister, Jomfrue A. C. Lewer, who informed us that they were opened 

 VOL. XX. 2 Q 



