in Iceland respecting the Gare-fowl. 395 
been constantly at my side while compiling this abstract of 
Mr. Wolley*s notes. A little comparison, not only with the en¬ 
graving, but with the corresponding bones in other species, a 
good supply of which there was no difficulty in procuring, soon 
showed that he had not been mistaken, and accordingly bone¬ 
seeking became one of our recognized occupations. Yet I can¬ 
not say that even here we were very successful; curiously enough 
where the chances seemed the best we never found anything. 
Thus the old Geirfuglasker having formerly been shared by the 
churches of Kyrkjubol and Mariu-Kyrkja-i-Vogi, we naturally 
thought that the “ Kjokken-moddinger** (Kitchen-middens) at 
those places would be likely to yield the best supply. Yet at 
what we were told was the site of the latter not a vestige of a 
bone could be found. The ground was covered everywhere with 
great stones—the little soil there was between them seeming as 
if it had drifted into its present position, while the sea may 
have completely washed away the rubbish-heaps, if houses ever 
stood there. At the former place—Gammall Kyrkjubol—though 
there was a very large grass-grown mound entirely composed of 
ancient refuse, and into which we made a deep excavation, we 
did not recover a single fragment of a Great Auk—scarcely, I 
think, of any bird—from it. Nor was our luck much better at 
Stafnes, where we dug down through a large heap, coming upon 
fishes* bones in great abundance, but little of interest excepting 
a stratum of broken egg-shells, apparently those of Guillemots 
and Razor-bills, with perhaps a few Eider Ducks*, though I 
have not yet examined them very closely. It was remarkable that 
such of the fragments as had any markings retain them still, 
after so long a burial, quite as brightly as specimens I have often 
seen in cabinets, when the collector has not been careful to exclude 
air and light. At Kyrkjuvogr we were more fortunate; in the 
wall of the churchyard we found two or three Great Auks* 
bones sticking in the turf, which is used instead of mortar to 
keep the stones in their places. On inquiry the turf was found 
to have been cut from a small hillock close by. This we pretty 
thoroughly searched, and among a vast number of the bones of 
other Alcidce , there were several of the large species. 
But our most profitable digging was at Bsejasker. Mr. Wolley 
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