Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1906-02-20
Some Costly Euus.

That they can be termed rarities with
out fear of exaggeratiOn. The rarest
OF all the eggs of still existent fam.
lily OF birds is that laid by the condor. |
AT the present moment there is not in !
existence one single dozen perfect !
specimens, and the few there are can
be seen solely in some of the wealth. /
lest and richest collections. The con- |
dor, which is found in southern Cali. |
fornia and the Andes, is now hopeless
~ doomed to die out. 1t is also prac-
tlcally impossible to collect any fresh
specimens of it's eggs as these rare
and extremely shy birds nest thous-
ands of feet above the plains, in the
most rugged and inaccessible fastness.
es of the San Bernardino and San
Jacinto mountains. Hence finding and
plundering 1.-TWO very different things, |,
by the Bye a condor's nest is regard !
Cd as most wonderful and sensation
al event; in fact, prize of $500 would |
not tempt any sane man to start out
on the hunt for fresh condor egg.
Still more costly are the eggs of the
great aux, or garefowl. flightless ma
rlne bird with large head, heavy
body and compact plumage, the last
two living specimens of which were
discovered and killed in Iceland in the
year 1874. One of these eggs is now
to be seen, carefully preserved under
glass case, in the National Museum
at Washington; the original owner
sold it in London for f22 ($11O) in
the year 1851, whereas it's present val
ue is estimated at more than $4,000
| ($10.O0O). In 1853 two other auks
eggs were sold in London for G85
($425) apiece. while in 1869 a noble
man uorl Caervagh) paid ETA
$500 for damaged specimen. A
! Scotchman of the name of Powell was
fortunate to buy two of these eggs in
Edinburgh in 1879 for a mere song,
VIZ. 80 shillings; few weeks after
ward he sold them for G24O Isl, 200)
each. In 1877 an auks egg, which was
sold for $40 $4,000 in 1867, realized
$500 in America. At the present time
there are only from 20 to 80 speci.
mems known to be still in existence;
IL of these are in the British Museum
Uondon). This bird died out because
of its inability to fly, and of the diff
ficulty of it's movements upon dry
land. 1t used to nest in thousands on
Funk island "a rocky islet opposite
the coast of Newfoundland) which at
one time was used as a kinr of pro-
to kill these fat and palatable birds
in hundreds. The birds were knock
eG on the heads with clubs, plucked
Che feathers used to fetch good
:. price, and sailed for future cOnsump-
ton.
Funk island also used to afford shell
ter every year. at breeding time, to
countless numbers of other natatory
birds among them being the white
BOBBY (Sula bassana). These birds
have also met with the same fate as
the aux. In the year 1860 their nests
We're still to be seen in thousands, but
at the time of writing it would prob
ably be a matter of impossibility to
find one solitary specimen. Ruthless
slaughter. and the soaring away of
the birds-due to the erection of a
signal station on the island, which
used to fire off a shot every minute
in foggy weather-soon led to thin
hing of their ranks, and the price of
!, their eggs already began to rise in the
seventies. Now they are great rar-
tiles, and would fetch large sums, but
unfortunately there are no specimens
in the market. Some specimens are
, on view at the Smithsonian Institu-
ton and at the American Museum of
> Natural History in New York; they
1aEge in value from $500 to $3.50
apiece.
, Large sums are also paid for the
eggs of the aepyornis or moa gil
santic wingless bird of from ~ to IA
feet in height. which as long ago as
two hundred years was already dying
cut in Madagascar In appearance,
the bird much resembled the ostrich,
and it's egg was one foot in length.
The first specimen was brought to Eu.
rope (Paris) by French merchant in
1851. and caused quite sensation
e from the amount of interest it attract
l ed it's cubic capacity is about equal
: to that of one hundred goose eggs.
In 1897 one of these eggs was found
swimming about on the southwest
coast of the island of Madagascar, in
' Augustine bay. 1t now lies in the
British Museum, and is undoubtedly
one of the most extraordinary and
Q valuable relics of its kind
u The eggs of the aptornis, a recent
o iy extinct wingless bird, probably a
e member of the Ralldae family, also
/, fetch very high prices, fine colored
l specimens fetching as much as $3.50
II to $1,000 apiece. The apteryx or New
5 Zealand kiwi is a bird which, though
L still living, is becoming scarcer from
II day to day, and it's final extinction
Il !, is only question of years. These
q XVII breed very slowly, only one OF
two Yer large eggs being laid during
i the season, and as yet there Is no rec
ord of the successful rearing of young
e in captivity. Spectators might dc
: much worse than to buy up as many
n eggs of this bird as they can get hold
| aIfhOnOh
tected, it is to be feared that the spec
linens now existing are the last Of
their kind.
" Collectors also pay good prices fol-
the eggs of the golden eagle, the Eas
Indian swallow, the Californian parro
i OF 'popinjay." ETC., and for those o.
II all similar birds which make theil
C nests in such inaccessible spots thai
6 their obtaining is a matter of Difficult
. ty and danger to life
l The ordinary barndOor fowl o.
1t breakfast table" egg has also fame!
s value-sometimes, to-wit. when likt
a wine it has improved" with age. w.
rudely term such eggs rotten" II
d China, however, such an egg is a deli
1t cacy of the first water. and the well-to
n do pay high prices for a real good oil
r egg Of the blue blooded" type tina
t. has had ample time to mature. AR
n thur H. ]. Keane in the Scientific
=, American.