FAUNA OF SI. CROIX ISLAND 105 



Sphcnisciis wagcllanieiis (Challenger Report, vol. II.) 

 there is a humourous explanation of a similar habit: — 

 * In their stomachs were fish bones, cuttlefish beaks, and 

 I)ebbles. It is quite astounding the number and size 

 of the stones, shells and pebbles which were noticed 

 lying about the mouth of the burrows. The sealers told 

 me that these birds, when they come up from the sea 

 vomit up these stones at the mouths of their burrows 

 and when tliey go to sea again they take in the very 

 same stones as ballast ' I 



The penguins of 8t. Croix enjoy life undisturbed by 

 man or beast: their eggs remain untouched, and the 

 little guano they produce is not collected. For many 

 years the eggs were systematically collected, but appa- 

 rently the profits were small. The guano problem is 

 not simple, owing to the steep slopes and rocky te^n^ain 

 If these accommodating birds could be persuaded to live 

 and breed in well levelled kraals, instead of seeking tha 

 inconvenient sites they now frequent, the problem would 

 be solved I 



The penguins found at St. Croix belong to the species 

 }<pJtenisc>is deiner'^ns Lin., the ^Jackass Penguin', or 

 ]>lack-footed Penguin, only known from Soutli Africa. 

 The species occurs most abundantly on certain islands 

 off tlie west coast, extending northvrards as far as Cape 

 Cross. The nearest ally is Spheniscus magellanlcus, 

 found on the Falkland islands, a species which by some 

 authors has been regarded only as a variety of aS. 

 (Jrr'uirsns. Judging fi'om the coloured illustrations of 

 the two kinds in the 'Challenger Report', vol. II., by 

 P. L. Sclater and O. Calvin, they would appear to differ 

 considerably. I have therefore been interested to find 

 amongst our specimens in the Albany Museum, one 

 examine taken at Pt. Alfred, which presents a feature 

 characteristic of /^. 7)wgcUanicns: it has a black band on 

 the foreneck, between the horse-shoe-shaped chest-band 

 and the black throat patch: however, the black band 



