in Iceland respecting the Gare-fowl, 393 
on an island “ at the north-east side of Iceland.” A wrong 
locality was probably furnished on purpose to mislead HerrMech- 
lenburg; but the fact of his never having had more than three 
eggs, of which two came into his possession in, or shortly before 
the year 1844, entirely disposes of Dr. Kjserbolling’s assertion 
to which I have before alluded*. Thus it is pretty evident that 
most of the specimens of the Great Auk and its eggs, which now 
exist in collections, were obtained from Eldey between the years 
1830 and 1844f. 
From what has been already stated, it will be seen how great 
Mr. Wolley^s industry in collecting information was; yet I 
must add a few more words. In former days, the Gare-fowls 
were, in summer time, so constantly observed in the sea by the 
fishermen, that their appearance was thought but little of. The 
people from Kyrkjuvogr and SmSrnes used to begin to see them 
when they arrived off Hafnaberg, and from thence to Reyk- 
janes-rost. We were told by many people that they swam with 
their heads much lifted up, but their necks drawn in; they 
never tried to flap along the water, but dived as soon as alarmed. 
On the rocks they sat more upright than either Guillemots or 
. Razor-bills, and their station was further removed from the sea. 
They were easily frightened by noise, but not by what they saw. 
They sometimes uttered a few low croaks. They have never 
been known to defend their eggs, but would bite fiercely if they 
had the chance when caught. They walk or run with little, 
short steps, and go straight like a man. One has been known 
to drop down some two fathoms off the rock into the water. 
Finally, I may add that the colour of the inside of their mouths 
is said to have been yellow, as in the allied species. 
In 1846 Eldey was visited by Vilhjalmur and a party, and 
* The additions which, in the last edition of his work, Mr. Yarrell made 
to his account of this bird (B. B. 3rd ed. vol. iii. pp. 482- 3), are copied from 
Mr. Lloyd's ‘ Scandinavian Adventures’ (ii. pp. 496-7), having been origi¬ 
nally taken from Dr. Kjserbolling’s book, and are very inaccurate. 
t Lists of these, which are in the main correct, though I know of a few 
that are omitted, have lately appeared in the c Zoologist * for the present 
year (pp. 7353 & 7386), and almost simultaneously in the e Field ’ news¬ 
paper (Nos. 423 & 424, pp. 93, 114). Further remarks on them will be 
found in the former journal (pp. 7387 & 7438). 
VOL. III. 2 D 
