106 MR. JOHN HEWITT 



stops short on each side instead of passing into the black 

 of the hind neck as in the S. American species. This 

 unusual character was not noticed in an}^ of the St. Croix 

 birds, though I did not specially search for it at the time. 

 In one respect, at least, the St. Croix birds ditter from 

 the typical Cape Penguin as commonly described and 

 figured. There is a characteristic pink patch starting 

 from tire base of the bill and extending over and around 

 the eye. On the other hand, according to Mr. W. L. 

 ScJater in his 'Fauna of South Africa, Birds,' vol. IV., 

 the Ca})e I*enguin IkiS 'naked skin about the eye grey, 

 at the base of the bill usually pink, sometimes bluish^ 

 The coloured illustration in the ' Challenger Report ' 

 also shews the eye encircled by a blue-grey patch, and 

 the pink limited to the loreal region : in reference to 

 their plate, the authors remark: — 'the species is well 

 known to us, and when adult they never fail to irrive 

 at the plumage shewn in the Plate'. 



In tlie ' Ibis ' there is a note by Mr. G. Shortridge on 

 penguins at Port St. John's, as follows : — ' I kept a 

 specimen of this penguin alive for some time, and ob- 

 served that the skin around the eye and at the base of 

 the bill varied very much in colour, being sometimes 

 jjink and sometimes almost bright blue ' ; fnmi this, we 

 may infer that the loreal and circumocular regions were 

 coloured alike in the St. John's bird. 



At St. Croix I had abundant opportunities of closely 

 inspecting nesting birds, but have no recollection of blue 

 or grey markings in any specimen. 



Although agreeing closely in all other respects, it 

 seems possi})le that the Eastern Province birds can b*- 

 distinguished from a western form in sexual plumage 

 by the extension of pink colouration all round the eye* 

 but this eastern variety occurs also at Dyer Island 

 according to information received from Mr. K. H 

 Barnard. It is noteworthy in view of the fact that the 

 Falkland Island birds also have the pink colours extend 

 ing around the eve. 



