34 EDWARD A. WILSON. 



The Kings' rookery was filthy, neither more nor less, and the whole area smelt 

 abominably. They are large birds, and hundreds are huddled together in close 

 companies, living and breeding on an area of mud, stones, and water at the foot 

 of the overhanging hills. The breeding birds avoid the tussock grass, amongst 

 which one finds only bands of bachelors and unemployed. Generally, the sitting bird 

 makes an effort to keep clean and dry by balancing itself on a stone, a little island as it 

 were, in the muddy trickle that surrounds it. Several birds taken with eggs and marked 

 on the spot as sitters, proved, on examination, to be males, so that probably the parents 

 take turns, one sitting while the other goes to sea to feed. 



There were birds in this rookery of all sexes, ages, and conditions, a few adults even 

 in fidl moult. Many of the young were still in a complete suit of chestnut-coloured 

 down, though almost as big as the adults ; many showed different stages of the natal 

 moult, shaggy remnants of the down, commonly as collars only or tufts on the neck, 

 breast, and back, remaining still in situ ; many showed the clean pale feathers of 

 immaturity, the neck patch being smaller and of a very pale lemon yellow instead of 

 orange gold, the bright red side plate of the mandible being then conspicuous by its 

 absence (fig. 2, PI. VIIL). 



Of the eggs, some were well advanced in incubation, though the great majority 

 were fresh-laid, and the contents of these were excellent eating, without any rank 

 riavour, and with very pale yellow yolks. In no case was there any attempt at nest- 

 making, but each bird jjalanced on its own little island, resented any interference, either 

 from its neighbours or ourselves. If by chance one of them was overbalanced it fell 

 on its bill and wing tips, and so remained, holding tight to its egg until, by a sudden 

 jerk, it recovered the upright position once again. 



The noise in the rookery was so excessive that we had to shout to one another to 

 make ourselves heard above the din. The adults gave out a harsh guttural scpawk or 

 a chattering gabble, and the young birds a shrill, piping whistle. If we attempted to 

 drive any of the unemployed into the water, we found ourselves engaged in a very 

 difficult task. When scared, they seemed to have a great repugnance to leaving the 

 shore, as we afterwards found was the case with the Antarctic Adelie Penguins. If 

 we surrounded them and persisted in our efforts, they would dive iu and appear 

 beyond the kelp with head, bill, and neck held high in the air, while the body was so 

 low in the water as to be hardly seen at all. 



The posture of the bird when " sitting " with an egg has been so often described 

 that it would, perhaps, be suj^erfluous to repeat it here, were it not for the unfortunate 

 way in which the word " pouch " is invariably emjjloyed ever since it was first used to 

 describe the incubation methods of this bird. The egg, and this cannot be too 

 plainly stated, is simply held wedged in between the legs, resting upon the uj^per 

 surface of the feet. Having once been laid, it is never afterwards admitted within the 

 body of the bird that laid it, any more than is the egg of an ordinary liarnyard 

 " sittiuti hen." 



