Fróðskaparrit - 01.01.1963, Page 45

Nevtollur og nýggjari føroysk lóggáva
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SUMMARY
The soscalled beak duty was an obligation for all grown>up men in
the Faroe Islands to deliver one beak of a raven (corvus corax varius)
a year. The duty is mentionned as early as in Olaus Magnus (1555),
who, to be sure, traces it to Iceland, and presumably it is of mediaeval
origin. It was imposed for the purpose of reducing the damage caused
to the stock of sheep by the ravens, which especially killed the young
lambs. The payment of the beak duty had to be enjoined several times
in the course of the 17th century and the beginning of the 18th century,
whereupon detailed rules were laid down by Royal Ordinance of
November 21, 1741. Pursuant to this ordinance it was possible in addition
to beaks of ravens to deliver beaks of eagles (haliaeetus albicilla), of
crows (corvus cornix cornix), and of blackbacks (larus marinus). The
provision of the ordinance regarding the eagle was of little importance,
this bird being already at that time extirpated as a breeding bird, and
complete agreement does not seem to have prevailed as to the noxious*
ness of the crow and the blackback to the stock of sheep. Besides these
birds, the great skua (stercorarius skua skua) is known to have been
under the beak duty, which, to all appearance, contributed towards
its almost complete extirpation so that a preservation of it had to be
effected in 1897, with the result that the stock of this bird has increased
again. Svabo suggested about 1780 that the lesser blacUbacked gull
(larus fuscus graellsii) ought to come under the beak duty, too, but
his proposal was not carried through. Besides, opinions diífered on the
noxiousness of this bird.
The beak duty was abolished by an Act in 1881, the opinion being
that the system gave too much trouble and that it was not necessary
any longer. The latter supposition was not right, however, and an awarding
of prizes had to be introduced immediately, and it was also necessary
by and Act of March 11, 1892 to put landowners under the obligation
to seek out the nests of the raven and to destroy the brood. However,
this act was never applied to any great extent, whereas the awarding
of prizes has been maintained up to our time. At present small prizes
are awarded for deliveries of beaks both of the raven and of the crow.
BÓKMENTIR
1. Barfod, Knud: Kragefugle (»Frem« D. II. bls. 202—10. Kbh. 1928
og »Faglig Læsning« nr. 98. Kbh. 1937).
2. Bíblia: Kbh. 1961.
3. Bruun, Daniel: Fra de færøske Bygder. Kbh. 1929.
4. Debes, Lucas Jacobsen: Færøernes Beskrivelse. 3. udg. Tvn. 1950
v/ Einar Joensen.