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POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY.
member of the petrel family, all of which have such a disagreeable flavor that neither their flesh nor eggs are edible. It seems to me far more probable that it was allied to the auks (Alcidæ), many of which burrow in the ground and lay white, edible eggs. The northern auks also have edible flesh and often a strong hooked bill.
But no existing species breeds so far south, nor do they breed in winter. The cahow may have spent the summer in the southern hemisphere, but possibly it was an arctic bird that produced a southern brood in winter. Or it may have been a localized pelagic species, coming to the land only for breeding purposes.
The following graphic account of the bird and its habits was written by Mr, W. Strachy, one of the party of 150 persons who were wrecked with Sir George Somers in the 'Sea Venture,' July, 1609:
The following description is taken from 'The Narrative' (1610), by Silvanus Jourdain, who was also one of Somers's party: