AN INTERESTING BIRD. 661 



An egg was received by the Zoological Society' in January, 1871, 

 and described by Mr. Alfred Newton as the first of either species of 

 the genus ever known, overlooking Mr. Layard's description of the 

 egg of C. minor published in 1867." Schlegel gives a figure and 

 some description,' which I suppose, from the date, to refer also to the 

 Leyden specimen, but have not yet been able to get access to the 

 article. 



If there ever were any other specimens, I have not been able to 

 find the record of their receipt ; and, whether there be or not, it is 

 very evident that the birds are but little known to science, since the 

 history of the species can be summed up in so few lines. 



During a four months' residence on Kerguelen Island I had ample 

 opportunity for observing the habits of the few living things which 

 inhabited it, and none were more interesting in their ways than the 

 chionis. Two or three lived near our huts, frequenting the rocks 

 along the shore between tides. They were particularly plentiful upon 

 a bold promontory called Malloy's Point, where many cormorants 

 nested ; and at another place, some two miles away, where the debris 

 broken oiF from lofty, precipitous cliffs had made a sort of " lean-to " 

 of irregular fragments of rocks. Here, likewise, was a nesting-place 

 for cormorants, and also a great rookery of the curious " rock-hop- 

 pers," or crested penguins. These two birds were the chosen com- 

 panions of the chionis, which lived with them on terms of perfect 

 friendship and close association. One day (October 15th), seeing a 

 large number of white specks on the farther side of Malloy's Point, I 

 began to appro'ach them very cautiously, so as to watch their move- 

 ments at closer quarters. Caution proved, however, to be quite 

 thrown away in that instance, since so great was the curiosity of the 

 birds that they would scarcely get out of my way. When I finally 

 sat down upon a rock and kept perfectly still for a few moments, they 

 crowded around rae like a mob of street-boys around an organ-grinder. 

 Others flew up from more distant rocks, apparently called by the 

 short, rattling croaks of those already near, and some .came almost 

 within reach of my arm. All seemed perfectly fearless and trustful, 

 and very unlike in this respect to any other birds that I had ever seen. 

 They ran with great swiftness over the rocks, stopping now and then 

 to peck at a common green sea- weed (ulva), upon which they seemed 

 to feed, shaking the water from it by a rapid, flirting motion of the 

 bill. In running over the rocks they rather avoided the little pools 

 of water left by the tide, seeming to dislike wetting their feet. 



After sufficient time spent in observation, I changed the cartridges 

 in my gun for others loaded with small shot, and moved off, so as to 

 get far enough away to shoot two or three without tearing the skins ; 

 not without a good deal of compunction at destroying their friendly 



' "Proceedings of Zoological Society," 1871, p. 57. * Ibid., 1867, p. 458. 



' Handl. Dierk., pi. 5 De Dierk., Fig., p. 232. 



