490 Capt. Canut1cuaEL's Description of 
The D. chlororynchos builds its solitary nest in some sheltered 
corner, selecting in particular the small drains that draw the 
water off the land into the ravines. There it runs up its nest to 
the height of ten or twelve inches, of a cylindrical form, with a 
small ditch round the base. A curious circumstance with regard 
to this bird is, that when irritated the feathers of its cheeks are 
separated, so as to display a beautiful stripe of naked orange skin, 
running from the corners of. the mouth towards the back of the 
head. : | | previo usi 
^ All of these birds nourish their young by disgorging the con- 
tents of their stomach. They are never observed to carry any ar- 
ticle of food in their bill: those matters, indeed, from which they 
derive the chief part of their sustenance, the blubber of dead 
whales, seals, and sea-lions, would melt away if carried in the bill 
to any distance. We could not help admiring the utter uncon- 
sciousness of danger displayed by them on our approach: they 
never showed the least disposition to move out of our way: even 
when kicked or pulled off their nests, they made not the smallest 
show of resistance; but quietly returned to their post, or stood 
still until we passed on. Their plumage is in the finest order, co- 
pious, and without the slightest stain. They find great difficulty 
in getting on wing, and must run twenty or thirty yards along 
the ground with expanded wings before they can get fairly under 
way. We had the curiosity to take one of them by the point of 
the wings and fling it over the rock; yet, though it had several 
hundred feet of a clear fall, it never recovered itself, but dropped 
down like a stone. On this account, when not engaged with their 
young, they usually rest upon the edge of the precipice, from 
which they can launch at once into the air ; and on entering again 
upon that difficult part of our route, we had to kick upwards of 
a dozen of them to the right and left of us before we could get on. 
We 
