The Tablet, born 16 May 1840, was just a few weeks old when the great auk was declared extinct in Britain. Part penguin, part puffin, by all accounts Pinguinus impennis was a striking bird. Colossal beak and coloured like a domino, it stood upright at nearly three feet tall. The stub wings that were too small for flight gave the seabird an otter’s grace in the water.

Unused to human adversaries – white tailed eagles and killer whales were their usual enemies – they were tame, indeed curious of the adventurous men encountering them on the cliffs of the cold North Atlantic. Eyewitnesses recall the birds staring at them “just like a human being”. Rich in oils, their downy feathers highly prized for pillows, the great auk was a sitting target.