Gregory Whitten, age 10., of Portland.. Maine, for his question:

What is an auk?

The southern seas have their penguins. The Arctic regions of the far north have their auks. The penguins cannot fly. But the chunky, black and white auks can whip through the air like bouncing bullets. They nest on bleak northern shores and spend their days fishing. Along line of them will skim over the waters, diving in and out. Sometimes they dive and stay under for a while, using their wings to swim under water.

The puffin is a member of the auk family. With his huge head and

over‑sued beaks he looks like a kindergarten drawing of a bird. The great auk was a giant anal the only member of the family unable to fly. His story is a sad one, for he was slaughtered out of existence and the last great auk said goodbye to the world in 1844, Whale and seal hunters herded great droves of the friendly creatures together and killed them for fat and feathers.