Audubon Aquatint Engraving, Great Auk, Plate 341

Great Auk, Plate 341. John James Audubon (1785-1851). First Edition Engravings with Original Hand Color. London: Robert Havell, 1827-1838. 25 x 37 1/2 inches sheet, 37 x 49 1/2 inches framed. Guidance: Mid-Hudson, 2014 - $18,300. - One of Audubon’s six extinct birds. In July 1844, the last Great Auk seen in the British Isles was caught and killed. 3 men from St Kilda caught a single “garefowl”, noticing its small wings and the large white spot on its head. They tied it up and kept it alive for 3 days, until a large storm arose. Believing that the auk was a witch and the cause of the storm, they then killed it by beating it with a stick. It is the only British bird made extinct in historic times.