Náttúrufræðingurinn

Volume

Náttúrufræðingurinn - 1995, Page 67

Náttúrufræðingurinn - 1995, Page 67
searches in Iceland respecting the Gare-fowl or Great Auk (Alca impennis L.). Ibis 1. ser., 3(12). 371-399. Nielsen, P. I929a. Geirfugl, sæörn og fálki (Þrír alíslenzkir fuglar). Lesbók Mbl. 12. maí, 4(19). 145-148. Nielsen, P. 1929b. Síðustu geirfuglarnir. Lesbók Mbl. 12. september, 19(248). 5. Oddur Einarsson um 1590. íslandslýsing (Qualiscunque descriplio Islandiae). Bóka- útgáfa Menningarsjóðs, Reykjavík. 1971. 164 bls. Ogilvie, A.E.J. 1984. The past climate and sea-ice record from Iceland, part 1: Data to A.D. 1780. Climatic Change 6. 131-152. Ólafur Halldórsson (ritstj.) 1904. Jónsbók. Co- penhagen. Ólafur Ketilsson 1929a. Síðustu geirfuglarnir. Vísir 21. júlí, 19(196). 2. Ólafur Ketilsson 1929b. Geirfugl, örn og valur (Síðasta orðsending mín til hr. P. Nielsens). Vísir 4. október, 19(270). 2. Preyer, W. 1862. Ueber Plautus impennis (Alca impennis L.). Univ. Heidelberg, Philsophische Facultát. 42 bls. Reinhardt, J. 1839. Om gejrfuglens forekomst paa Island. Naturhistorisk Tidsskr. 2. 533- 535. Sigurður Þórarinsson 1965. Neðansjávargos við ísland. Náttúrufræðingurinn 35. 49-96. Steenstrup, J. 1857. Et Bidrag til Geirfuglens Alca impennis Lin. Naturhistorie, og særligt til Kundskaben om dens tidligere Udbred- ningskreds. Vidensk. Medd. Dansk naturh. Foren. 3-7. 33-116. Sveinn Jakobsson 1974. Eldgos við Eldeyjar- boða. Náttúrufræðingurinn 44(1). 22-40. Tinker, J. 1971. Extinct mounled birds. (Auc- tion). New Sci. 49(742). 578. Tomkinson, P.M.L. & J.W. Tomkinson 1966. Eggs of the Great Auk. Bull. Brit. Mus. (Nat. Hist.). Hist. Ser. 3(4). 97-128 + plates. Þorkell Grímsson 1974. Reykvískar fornleifar. Bls. 53-74 í Reykjavík í 1100 ár. (Safn til Sögu Reykjavíkur). Sögufélagið, Reykjavík. Helgi Þorláksson sá um útgáfuna. 327 bls. ■ SUMMARY Some Aspects oe the History OE THE GrEAT AuK IN ICELAND A brief account is given of specific aspects of the Great Auk's history in Iceland, in view of the 150 years anniversary of its extinction in 1994. Use is made of a number of references, i.e. Steenstrup (1857), Newton (1861), Grieve (1885), Arnþór Garðarsson (1984), Bengtson (1984), Nettleship & Birkhead (1985), Hjálm- ar Bárðarson (1986), and Bourne (1993). The life history of the species is briefly re- viewed. Only three nesting places are known for certain in Iceland, but several others are putative. The population appears to have num- bered hundreds of pairs to a few thousand around 1750, before the final decline and eventual disappearance in 1844. The early Icelandic literature, including the 1281 Jónsbók book of law and Snorri's Edda from the 14th century, does nol tell mucli of Great Auks. This could mean the population was already depressed at that time, or simply limited to a few, remote skerries. In later cen- turies records tell of frequenl hunting trips to the Great Auk colonies, especially that on Geirfuglasker off Reykjanes, which was by l’ar the largest colony. Icelanders made regular trips tliere from about 1750 onwards, bul these became irregular as the 18th century drew to a close. The colony was raided by the British in 1808 and the Faeroese in 1813. Finally, the skerry itself is believed to have disappeared in a volcanic eruption in 1830. The remaining birds moved to the island stack of Eldey 12 km closer inshore. The breeding space available on Eldey was much smaller than that on Geirfuglasker, but by that time the population was probably already much reduced. Orni- thologist Faber visited Geirfuglasker in thc be- ginning of July 1821 without seeing a single Great Auk. The colony on the other Geir- fuglasker in the Westman Islands was aban- doned in 1800, but judging by its size that site probably never supported but a small colony. The available evidence indicates that the Great Auk population had already crashed ntany dec- ades before the last birds were killed in 1844. About 80 Great Auk skins exist in the world to-day, around 75 eggs, many bone rclics from middens including whole skeletons, and fi- nally the bodies of the last two birds. All Great Auk relics collected in lceland were exported to collections abroad, except bones in midd- ens. Prior to 1889 no natural history collec- 65
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