brooks: FALKLAND ISLAND BIRDS. 141 



the youiif,^ sprawl with winjis outstretched and feet extended behind. 

 In this attitude the bird sleeps soundly, and one can be approached 

 without waking .so as to touch it with one's boot. A bird suddenly 

 aroused in this manner requires a surprising length of time to ijealize 

 what is the matter and adopt some measure for protection, <hie no 

 doubt to their eyes being better adapted to subaquatic vision. 



One of the most astonishing characteristics of these birds is their 

 ability to go to and from the sea in the heaviest surf, which in the 

 Falkhmds far exceeds what prevails in the north Atlantic. On enter- 

 ing the water they are in a great lun-ry to l)ecome submerged where 

 naturally their progress is far more rapid. On reaching the wash 

 of tile waves they often lie flat on their bellies in water that does 

 not nearly cover, and beat their wings rapidly but with no results; 

 until they arise and walk to deeper water, or an incoming wave over- 

 takes them in their futile endeavors, and covers them sufiicientlv for 

 the use of their wings as they are swept to deeper water. Generally 

 they come to the surface before each comber, and diving immediately 

 sAvim under it. Diving requires no effort or "curling over" as is 

 necessary with other water-fowl. A penguin floats so low that the 

 wings are always under water so that it can use them on the surface; 

 to submerge the bird merely puts its head imder water and disappears. 

 I haA'e never seen them use the feet in swimming, they are trailed 

 behind as with a flying bird. 



Coming in from the ocean is rather more of a struggle owing to the 

 undertow, but it is always successful. A group will be coming towards 

 the shore with characteristic porpoise-like plunges. When near the 

 shore they dive, and, approaching at a tremendous rate when in 

 about ten inches of water they pop up to a standing position, and the 

 indefinable shadows hurtling in are transformed with the quickness of 

 a flash into dripping penguins running up through the spume onto the 

 dry beach. 



Their rapidity under water is well known and I estimated their 

 wing-strokes to be about two hundred to the minute. The dark body 

 of one of these birds travelling at full speed below the surface appears 

 more like the shadow of a small cloud borne rapidly along on the strong 

 Cape Horn westerly. The "porpoising" is very graceful, the birds 

 entering the water in clean cut dives like salmon. In fact a fellow- 

 passenger on the steamer from Port Stanley to Valparaiso thought a 

 flock of penguins "porpoising" alongside were fish of some sort. 

 During these brief periods in the air these birds manage to inhale 

 suflicient air for their hunting below the surface. 



