ngth. Although breeding off the coast of
Newfoundland, they appeared winters as far south as Virginia, performing
their migration by swimming alone. The last bird appears to have been
taken in 1844, and Funk Island, off the coast of Newfoundland, marks the
place of their disappearance from our shores. There are about seventy
known specimens of the bird preserved, and about the same number of
eggs. The immediate cause of the extinction of these birds was their
destruction for food by fishermen and immigrants, and later for the use
of their feathers commercially. The single egg that they laid was about
5.00 x 3.00 inches, the ground color was buffy white, and the spots
brownish and blackish. The markings varied in endless pattern as do
those of the smaller Auk. There are but two real eggs (plaster casts in
imitation of the Auks eggs are to be found in many collections) in
collections in this country, one in the Academy of Natural Science,
Philadelphia, and the other in the National Museum, at Washington.
Through the kindness of Mr. Witmer Stone, of the Academy of Natural
Science, we are enabled to show a full-sized reproduction from a
photograph of the egg in their collection.

[Illustration 034: Great Auk Dovekie.]
[Illustration: left hand margin.]
[Illustration: deco.]

Page 33

[Illustration 035: EGG OF THE GREAT AUK.
Photographed from the specimen in the Academy of Natural Science,
Philadelphia; not more than ten or twelve of these eggs are in this
country; the one figured is one of the best marked specimens.]
[Illustration: right hand margin.]

Page 34

34. DOVEKIE. _Alle alle_.

Range.--Coasts and islands of the North Atlantic and East Arctic oceans,
breeding in the Arctic regions and wintering as far south as the Middle
States. The little Dovekie or Sea Dove is the smallest member of the
family, being only 8 inches in length, and is the only member of the
sub-family allinae. The form is very robust and the bill is short and
stout. In summer the plumage is black above; the throat and upper breast
are sooty brown, and the under parts are white, as are also the tips of
the secondaries and edges of the scapulars. They nest in large numbers
on the Rocky cliffs of islands in the East Arctic. Their single pale
greenish blue egg is placed in a crevice of the rocks. Size 1.80 x 1.25.
Data.--Greenland, June 8, 1893. Single egg laid in a crevice of a sea
cliff.

[Illustration: deco.]
[Illustration 036: Dovekie.]