REPORT ON THE BIRDS — STEGANOPODES AND IMPENNES. 129 



On comparison of the series from these three localities we cannot satisfactorily 

 recognise more than one species of Rock-hopper. The bird from Inaccessible Island 

 has the elongated superciliary plumes more produced ; those of the Falklands and 

 Kerguelen have them rather shorter. 



As regards the Australian and New Zealand bird (Eudyptes pachyrhynchus of Gray), 

 to which Mr Sharpe proposes to restrict the name chrysocome of Forster, we likewise 

 doubt its distinctness. The only differential characters given by Mr Sharpe consist in 

 the relative lengths of the black and yellow feathers of the superciliary tufts. At the 

 same time we should like to examine a series of this form before pronouncing a decided 

 opinion on the point. 



The plate (XXX.) represents an adult from Inaccessible Island (specimen e), and a 

 specimen in down-plumage from the Falklands (o). 



Mr Moseley gives us an excellent account of his observations on this Penguin at 

 Inaccessible Island, where he landed on October 16, 1873 (Notes, p. 119, et seq.). 



" It seems remarkable that there should be only one species of Penguin at the Tristan 

 da Cunha group, since in most localities several species occur together. 



"It would have seemed probable that a species of 'jackass' Penguin {Spheniscus) 

 should occur on the islands, since one species [Spheniscus megellanicus) occurs at the 

 Falkland Island and Fuegia, and another {Spheniscus demersus) at the Cape of Good 

 Hope, intermediate between which two points Tristan da Cunha lies. The connection 

 between these two widely separated Sphenisci is wanting ; it perhaps once existed at 

 Tristan and has perished. 



" Most of the droves of Penguins made for one landing-place, where the beach surface 

 was covered with a coating of dirt from their feet, forming a broad tract leading to a lane 

 in the tall grass, about a yard wide at the bottom, and quite bare, with a smoothly- 

 beaten black roadway ; this was the entrance to the main street of this part of the 

 ' rookery,' for so these Penguin establishments are called. 



" Other smaller roads led at intervals into the rookery to the nests near its border, but 

 the main street was used by the majority of the birds. The birds took little notice of us, 

 allowing us to stand close by, and even to form ourselves into a group for the photo- 

 grapher, in which they were included. 



" This kind of Penguin is called by the whalers and sealers Rock-hopper, from its 

 curious mode of progression. The birds hop from rock to rock with both feet placed 

 together, scarcely ever missing their footing. When chased they blunder and fall 

 amongst the stones, struggling their best to make off. 



" With one of the Germans as guide, I entered the main street. As soon as one was 

 in it, the grass being above one's head, one was as if in a maze, and could not see in the 

 least where one was going to. Various lateral streets lead off on each side from the 

 main road, and are often at their mouths as big as it, moreover, the road sometimes 



(ZOOL. CHALL. EXP. — PART VIII. 1880.) H 17 



