The Great Auk was a
species of wild
fowl that was gradually exterminated by
man, the last of them being killed in 1844 on a group of
islands off the southwest coast of
Iceland.
In the 18th century these
birds were common to the
Faroes and the Iceland seas, from whence they were gradually driven to
settlement after settlement until their final extinction. In 1813 alone vast numbers of them were destroyed by
sailors from a Faroes craft. As if
nature were conspiring with man to destroy them, one of their haunts was engulfed by the sea, following a
submarine eruption.
Even in earlier times, they were ruthlessly hunted for food. In 1536 French and English vessels forced them ashore in droves before killing and then salting them down for
provisions.
Although man contributed greatly towards the annihilation of the Great Auk, its habit of laying only one
egg did nothing to help maintain the species.