BuLiiEB.— 0;^ Neiv Zealand Birds. 71 



there is at first only a tinge of yellow, where in later life this 

 colour becomes so rich. The young birds are phenomenally 

 fat. 



Eudyptes chrysolophus, (The Eoyal Penguin.) 



By the courtesy of Captain Fairchild I received several 

 living birds, both old and young, of this species. It is evident 

 that Eudiji)tes chrysolophus, Brandt (described at page 297 of 

 ** The Birds of New Zealand," 2nd ed., vol. ii.), and Eudyjjtes 

 sclilegeli are one and the same bird. The Penguin with the 

 grey throat and scant crest is the young of the Royal Penguin ; 

 but, as Eudyptes chrysolophus is the older name, it must take 

 precedence of Eudyptes sclilcgeli. In disposition and character 

 this bird differs entirely from the ordinary Crested Penguin 

 {E. pachyrhynchus). It is naturally one of the tamest 

 and boldest of birds. It was quite amusing to notice the 

 behaviour of the four I turned loose in my garden. They 

 always kept in close company and acted together, as it were, 

 automatically. They sometimes walked up and down the 

 garden paths Indian file, at other times they walked abreast, 

 but always in unison. Where one went the others would go ; 

 and, if interrupted, or crossed in their path, they would attack 

 savagely wdth their powerful beaks and endeavour to turn the 

 flank of the intruders, instead of turning back. They were 

 more noisy than the other species, especially at night and 

 during the early morning, uttering at intervals a cry like that 

 of the domestic gander, and at other times a sound strangely 

 like the bleating of a sheep — such as one hears at intervals 

 from the pen at shearing-time. Their ordinary cry, frequently 

 repeated, is not unlike the cawing of Eooks. They selected a 

 favourite resting-ground, and, although they wandered freely 

 over an acre of garden, they always came back to it. They 

 seemed never tired of dipping in the water and preening their 

 feathers. When brought to me they W'Cre undergoing their 

 annual moult, and presented a singular appearance with the 

 old plumage hanging tibout them and peeling off in strips. 

 By the end of July they had completed their moult, and were 

 in bright plumage, although their crests were only half de- 

 veloped, and their tail-feathers only just appearing. This 

 species has a bare flesh-coloured membrane round the angles 

 of the mouth, which imparts a very peculiar expression to the 

 face, and admits of a wide expansion of the mandibles. It 

 has bright red irides, and feet of a dull gamboge-yellow 

 colour. 



Observations on caged birds, or those kept in close cap- 

 tivity, are not perhaps of very much value from a scientific 

 point of view ; but, when (as in the present case) the birds 

 have the freedom of a garden and shrubbery, with access 



