Nevtollur og nýggjari føroysk lóggáva um oyðing av skaðafugli

Abstract

The socalled beak duty was an obligation for all grownsup men in the Faroe Islands to deliver one beak of a raven (corvus corax varius) a year. The duty is mentionned as early as in Olaus Magnus (1555), who, to be sure, traces it to Iceland, and presumably it is of mediaeval origin. It was imposed for the purpose of reducing the damage caused to the stock of sheep by the ravens, which especially killed the young lambs. The payment of the beak duty had to be enjoined several times in the course of the 17th century and the beginning of the 18th century, whereupon detailed rules were laid down by Royal Ordinance of November 21, 1741. Pursuant to this ordinance it was possible in addition to beaks of ravens to deliver beaks of eagles (haliaeetus albicilla), of crows (corvus cornix cornix), and of blackbacks (larus marinus). The provision of the ordinance regarding the eagle was of little importance, this bird being already at that time extirpated as a breeding bird, and complete agreement does not seem to have prevailed as to the noxiousness of the crow and the blackback to the stock of sheep. Besides these birds, the great skua (stercorarius skua skua) is known to have been under the beak duty, which, to all appearance, contributed towardsits almost complete extirpation so that a preservation of it had to be effected in 1897, with the result that the stock of this bird has increased again. Svabo suggested about 1780 that the lesser black^backed gull (larus fuscus graellsii) ought to come under the beak duty, too, but his proposal was not carried through. Besides, opinions differed on the noxiousness of this bird. The beak duty was abolished by an Act in 1881, the opinion being that the system gave too much trouble and that it was not necessary any longer. The latter supposition was not right, however, and an awarding of prizes had to be introduced immediately, and it was also necessary by and Act of March 11, 1892 to put landowners under the obligation to seek out the nests of the raven and to destroy the brood. However, this act was never applied to any great extent, whereas the awardingof prizes has been maintained up to our time. At present small prizes are awarded for deliveries of beaks both of the raven and of the crow.