Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1890-11-11
1900 FoR An e \
10 Was an Kxx Of The es...
Rare Ifl.4 -*< 4

the effects OF Mrs. WIS., ',ee IL Fl
don the other day. asia b Il
sneI 80, oilered, and, after a.
s'lugs'e between number n {, sas ;sl
ogists, II was struck IN i z ''zniA
was an egg Of the great AMI =
supposed to he extinct M s. : Wy n
full within the memory n 1e''< I14k
older whalers who frequentsd, 1 e q d
Atlantic III t,4eir bo. hond i'S 3. ny III
hive years since an eeg -
changed hands, and then /. ~. s'A
the British College OF Suryso., u
while n 1863 Lord Garvach , Il y
ton sale in London paid ss' An Is !. 2
egg. Previous to that the pr;,.s z. 4, ~ y
Tor this sort OF eggs dwindIsi 4
easy gradations to As. 81 81 81 IN sO ~
one was sold in 1890 n ps. Y
the bird itself was then q ID VI u sl,atal
the islands of the north AtIaa s'''Q ~
4 There Is a mounted skin N IL; ~ \.
the American Museum al Nst'' aul
tory in this city that was NY, ,,sss'ai
London in 1869 for $ea5 I's.ass
eighty skins known to be h ~. 3e
the world. There are ALA 6. 81
skeletons, besides nun,erm,s ~ . y.
skeletons and several mnnm;os l11
The form Of the aux i fsm;,;,. Z
who have read illustrated aces. z
early voyages to Greenland /,
penguin OF the north Atlantic ~
squatty, goose shaped b0jv III 4
from twenty-eight to thirty All ~
on the average. 1t had wings n,s.'
that were only between M ' NJ
inches long, and it was therefr.s !:
able Of flight. 1t is pictured a Il II y.
sea stories as sitting up s,ems
dignified IN ranks along the sand -
the bleakest and most barrei, cd ~
the sailors approached the Land 49,
1t was not easily frightened ~ III ~
proach Of man. who was apss,s "
sole enemy. When disturbed 4 w.in
away about as fast as man cfs,ld s's
taking very short steps. but fak;os Il.
rapidly. On account of lis paIt 4 a s
called the wobble in some Il ~ 81;
books, such as the work of ,John r.
iyn, gent, on New England R,,;,;s
printed in 1872. Not thar IL 8
was rarity then; on the fs,tr.,s
was seen in great numbers al AZ s.s
ON the New England coast as the NJ
ing center Of the United States-.Rsss
At that time and for 100 years ~. !
was the custom of many Of the esJ.
men frequenting the banks Of Newia,s
land, particularly the French. Il v;s,sl
their vessels with the flesh Of ~ 4,
killing and sailing down as ,oanr I
would last for the entire cruise III,
method of taking the birds xas L
simplest possible. The ships boats 4,
rowed into some quiet cove freme,,
by the auks. and moored few feet rs
the land. Then planks were laid m
the beach or the rocks to the guux,s
Of the boats, and tine auks were driven |,
board in single file until their boats Il.
loaded. A man with a club kuoEa
them on the head as they reached II
boat, and dumped them under 4
thwarts.
When driving the birds on the bsi,s
was necessary to station man viii
club on each side of the gang plank
keep them from dropping off into Ii
water. Once afioat the awkward raas
became the swiftest and most grscefuld
motions. No other water fowl could 1
proach the wonderful speed Of lie III
on the water; indeed. it could swim I
rapidly as some of the more lumba4
birds can fly.
Although on account of its fishy I'D
it was somewhat oily when in goodus
dition, it was nevertheless Sc much :
teemed by the sailors that its numhn
diminished continuously from the In
the banks of Newfoundland began tob
much frequented, SO that by the besn
ming of the Nineteenth century it WASH
longer hunted for food, So few weNh
be had that they were not worth b
time required to take them. Howssa
in the year 1907 a British privateer fanA
its occupations of pursuing hena
merchant vessels and impressing YanEa
sailors by going to the islands of lceaaa
for supply of fresh aux meat Gre
numbers of the birds were killed, NAM
being left dead that could not be remoFs
because the ship had all she could ~
Three years later the people of the tas
Islands, being threatened by starvslA
on account of a failure in the fishers
visited Iceland, and about completedt
destruction begun by the privateer
That the aux never recovered fra
these blows even on the coasts best me-
for its maintenance was due to the 10
that the aux laid but one egg a year.
made no nest. but deposited the egg 2
the bare rock. 1t was an astonishing
large egg, averaging nearly five BY iaia
inches in length and dian ter. II VI
shaped much like big California paA
being very small at one end, a pecula4
of all BIRDS eggs that are laid IN expss
places as this was. Being small al 4
end, it would, when the wind mo'eiA
simply roll around in the arc OF ~ Il
small circle 1t was of a creamy W.
color, irregularly marked with ofvs
and black patches.
Although the aux is supposed TO Nu
tinct, there is u possibility that anoQI
perhaps several, may yet be discover.
When the fishermen ceased TO pefsN
the auk-that is, when it became rss
the naturalists stepped in to compress
it. The last auks seen WI wv
which there is no dispute were swoAs
ON the coast of Iceland in l'AA' ".
young one is reported to have been En- m
up dead on the coast of Labrador III , ~.
The body of an aux in good coI ,ls:,
would make a very handsome augs
to the fare of any fisherman, par'lu|ys III
il accompanied by an egg. I've" Z
Sun.