Great Auk - Henry Drummond's Vision


The Great Auk's ghost rose on one leg, 

Sighed thrice and three times winkt,

 And turned and poached a phantom egg

 And muttered, 

"I'm extinct."

Ralph Hodgson 1871 - 1962


                       Great Auk (Henry Drummond's Vision), oil on masonite, 20" x 20", Steven Rhude



Colonel H. M. Drummond was a highly respected Ornathologist. In December 1852, eight years after the Great Auk was supposedly extinct, Henry was sailing home for Christmas. Good old Henry spotted what he thought was a Great Auk off the coast of Newfoundland. The following year a dead bird was allegedly found washed up on the shores of Trinity Bay on the eastern side of Newfoundland. This account is from Eric Fuller's book The Great Auk.

Science has little patience for ghosts, and Henry had no camera or an eye witness to back up his claim - only his word and his vision. I on the other hand, had a great specimen skeleton from the Rooms in St. John's Newfoundland to work from as I made a painting with these thoughts in mind. It's strange contemplating the rames of such a tragic tale. What exactly was Henry really looking at - the last Auk? 

Steven Rhude, Wolfville, NS    


 

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