The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1890-12-27

Precious Relies of "a Creatur. That Not
being Fittest Did Not survive.


In 1855 an egg of the great aux was
sold for leo guineas. whilst more re-
Gently an egg of the same species
fetched f225; and although these may
seem enormous sums 10 give for
relic. the transactions are not without
others to keep them in countenance.
Only few years ago two eggs of the
same kind fetched 100 and 1902 guineas
respectively. while the egg first named
realized little over twenty years ago
f3S los. At that time 1t was discoy-
cred. together with four others. packed
away in dust-covered box in tho
museum of the Royal College of Sur
geons. these being sold la 1865. From
this 1t would seem that ia the ornitho-
logical market the complete shell of
great auk's egg Is worth nearly CLIO.
and "A broken one only $40 less. IL
will be seen th.t the purchase of one
OF these may be good investment.
and what mine,of wealth great aux
that was a good layer might prove to
his fortunate possessor can only be
conjecturcd. At the present time the
number of eggs OF this species known
To exist Is sixty-six- Twenty-Five of
which are in museums and forty-onc in
private collections; OF the total number
forty-three are retained in Great
Britain.
When n bril- becomes so rare that
the individual remains can be counted.
the same may be taken to be practically
extinct as n species. The great aux
has pursued policy OF extinction for
the past two or three centuries. until
now. like the mighty moa and tho do
do. it has ceased TO exist. The great
aux. or garefowl, was one of those
birds which. from long disuse. had lost
AT once the power Of flight and preser-
walton. 1t was a great stumbling bird,
as large AS goose, and ill-ahapted To
travel on land. How these things told
against 1t may be inferred from the
story OF one Captainc Richard Whit
bourne. who. writing Of the discovery
OF Newfoundland IN 1920. SAYS that
among the abundant water fowl Of
these parts are pcnguins (grcat auks)
las bigge rs geese. and flye not. for
they have but short wing. and they
multiply so infinitely. upon certain
fiat island. that men drive them from
thence upon board. into their boats
by hundreds ut time"
This process of extinction went on in
Iceland and elsewhere until about the
middle OF the present century hardly
any birds remained. Tho Icelanders
robbed the auks OF their eggs for do
nestle use, and upon one occasion the
crew of "A British priyatccr remained
upon one OF the Skerries all day killing
many birds aud treading down their
eggs aud young. This went on until
the last birds were taken. and there is
but the faintest hope that IL may yet
linger on la the inaccessible north.
Although awkward aud travelling with
the greatest difficulty on land. the
great aux was perfectly Mt home in the
water and travelled both upon and un-
der the surface with the rapidity of "A
fish. The time OF haunting the land
was during the breeding season. In
early summer. At this period the aux
resorted To the rocks. In the dark
recesses of which the females deposited
one large egg-large even for the size
of the bird. These had whiiish-green
ground, streaked with brown. aud
nearly live inches in length.