Who Killed the Great Auk?

About this book

Gaskell takes the reader on a tour of some of the wildest and coldest places on earth as he tries to uncover the facts behind the disappearance of the Great Auk, and the reasons why attempts to save it were in vain. It draws on material from previously unpublished sources and features some of the greatest Victorian ornithologists and pioneers in conservation.

Contents

Introduction - Who killed the Great Auk?; 1. This rare and noble bird; 2. Geirfuglasker: The Icelandic bird skerries; 3. Travels with Audubon in Labrador; 4. Westward ho!; 5. A visit to Funk Island; 6. Books of authority; 7. Wild foulis biggand - The Great Auk on St. Kilda; 8. The New-Found-Land; 9. Uncouth regions; 10. Mercenary and cruel; 11. The old wisdom of the Faeroe Islands; 12. In search of the Great Auk; 13. Last appearances; 14. Generation after generation; 15. Bird protection: A pressing need; 16. An Act of Parliament; Epilogue; Appendices: Description of the Great Auk based on a specimen acquired by Audubon in London; Discussion of Great Auk nomenclature; Abridged version of the Act for the Preservation of Sea Birds, 1869; The Victorian egg collectors

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