672 
Proceedings of the Royal Society 
Again, we find from a “ Journal of Transactions and Events during 
a Residence of nearly Sixteen Years on the Coast of Labrador,” by 
George Cartwright, that in 1785, the systematic destruction of 
Penguins, had led to the disappearance of these birds, in the breed- 
ing season at least, from all their known haunts around the coast of 
Newfoundland, with the exception of Funk Island : — 
“ 1785. July, Tuesday 5. — A boat came in [to Eogo Harbour] 
from Funk Island laden with birds, chiefly Penguins. Funk 
Island is a small flat island rock, about 20 leagues east of tho 
island of Fogo in the latitude of 50° N. Innumerable flocks of 
sea-fowl breed upon it every summer, which are of great service to 
the poor inhabitants of Fogo, who make voyages there to load with 
birds and eggs. When the water is smooth they make their shallop 
fast to the shore, lay their gang-boards from the gunwale of the 
boat to the rocks, and then drive as many Penguins on board as she 
will hold ; for the wings of those birds being remarkably short they 
cannot fly. But it has been customary of late years for several crews 
of men to live all the summer on that Island for the sole purpose of 
killing birds for the sake of their feathers, [and] the destruction 
which they have made is incredible. If a stop is not soon put to 
that practice the whole breed will be diminished to almost nothing, 
particularly the Penguins, for this is now the only island they have 
left to breed upon ) all others lying so near to the shores of New- 
foundland they are continually robbed. The birds which the people 
bring from thence, they salt and eat, in lieu of salted pork.” * 
The same author states that the Red or Wild Indians of 
Newfoundland visited Funk Island every year. 
In 1819 Anspach mentions that, at the time he wrote, the Penguin f 
* Vol. iii. p. 55. At page 222 of the same volume, the author writes as 
follows — and the quotation may serve to show that if such islands as are 
alluded to were at one time inhabited by Great Auks, the birds may have had 
other enemies to contend with besides human invaders : — “All along the face 
of the east coast, and within the many capacious bays which indent it, are 
thousands of islands of various sizes, [,on which innumerable multitudes of 
Eider Ducks and other water-fowl breed. The very smallest are not without 
their inhabitants, if the spray of the sea does not fly entirely over them ; and 
the larger ones have generally deer, foxes, and hares upon them. The former 
will swim out to them to get clear of the wolves which infest the continent ; 
but the two latter go out upon the ice, and are left upon them when it breaks 
up in the spring.” 
t Pinwing is now the name in use among old residenters, at the various 
