186 



The Naturalist. 



The Great Auk.^ — You may like to print the following extract from 

 W. Bullocli's guide to the London Museum, referring as it does to the 

 only British-killed specimen of the Great Auk in existence. It is from 

 the guide 1814, not of course from the larger edition of 1813. " The 

 Great Auk, or Northern Penguin. (Alca impennis.) Of this rare and 

 noble bird, we have no account of any having been killed on the shores 

 of Britain, except this specimen, for upwards of one hundred years. It 

 was taken at Papa Westra, in Orkney, to the rocks of which it had 

 resorted for several years, in the summer of 1813, and was finely pre- 

 served and sent to me by Miss Trail, of that island, a lady to whom I am 

 under considerable obligation for securing me many valuable and rare 

 subjects from the Northern Isles, and much interesting information res- 

 pecting their habits. I had the pleasure of examining this curious bird 

 on its native element ; it is wholly incapable of flight, but so expert a 

 diver, that every effort to shoot it was ineffectual." The above extract 

 occurs at p. 75, in a short catalogue of birds in separate cases. This 

 Great Auk is in the British Museum. — J. H. Gurney, Jun., Northrepps, 

 Norwich. 



Peregrine Falcon in Yorkshire. — It may interest your readers to 

 know that the noble peregrine has once more made its nest and hatched 

 its young in Yorkshire. During Whitsun-week I was spending a few days 

 at Bridlington, and being on the look out for eggs, I went about amongst 

 the dealers and collectors. I heard that the climbers who gather the eggs 

 had taken three young peregrines. As early as possible I started off to 

 find the climbers and see the birds. I found the men just returning from 

 one of their climbs and learned the following particulars. In the spring 

 of 1875, they had noticed a peregrine falcon in the neighbourhood, and 

 this season they noticed a pair, they therefore were on the look out for the 

 nest as they had some very tempting prices offered for the eggs ; during 

 the last week in May they found the nest containing three young birds 

 on the Bempton Cliffs, which are three or four miles north of Flambro' 

 Head, they took the birds and they are now in my possession, two males 

 and one female ; the female is fully one-third larger than the males, and 

 not quite so forward in feather. It is many years since these birds were 

 known to breed here before. There are only about four varieties of sea 

 birds breeding in this immediate neighbourhood. Most plentifully and 

 that in great numbers is the common guillemot, or as the natives call it 

 skout. Next in numbers the razor-bill, the pufiin or parrot, but the 

 eggs are often difficult to get at, as they are deposited in holes or fissures 

 of the rock. There are also a few kittawakes breed here. The breeding 

 place ranges from Flambro' Hearl to Speeton. I procured some very 

 beautiful and uncommon varieties of eggs, both of the guillimot and the 

 razor-bills. The birds have very greatly increased in numbers since 

 " The Sea Birds' Protection Act " came into operation. — Wm. Jas. CoI*s. 

 Barnsley^ 20th June, 1876, 



