15IRD ISLAND AND SAINT CROIX 20I 



The island of St. Croix, although so bare and 

 desolate looking, is not without some historical interest, 

 inasmuch as it was here that one of the stone crosses 

 erected by the Portuguese exploring expedition, under 

 the leadership of one Bartholomew Uiaz, was placed, 

 more than three centuries ago. Portions of this cross 

 are now in the Museum at Cape Town. 



A nearer approach to the island enabled us to see 

 rows of Penguins sittinof at various altitudes on the 

 shelves of rock which in places overlooked the water. 

 We anchored about a hundred yards from the north 

 end of the island, and then prepared to go ashore in 

 the little boat. As we were rowed past the rocks we 

 could see several groups of Penguins standing in their 

 quaint attitudes close to the shore, many of them 

 in very bad plumage, this being apparently the moult- 

 ing season — the middle of January. We landed in a 

 little creek, somewhat sheltered from the swell, and 

 taking our cameras up to a dilapidated old shed which 

 stood near at hand, we beg-an to get ready to commence 

 operations. This shed had been erected as a shelter 

 for sailors who might find themselves wrecked upon the 

 island, in the event of their vessels being blown land- 

 wards by the frequent south-easterly gales. 



The attitudes of the Penguins were very comical ; 

 one bird, we had noticed when we were landing, going- 

 through the most extraordinary performance by itself, 

 standing bolt upright and turning its head stiffly from 

 side to side, its two flippers sticking out from its body. 

 The bird presented much the appearance of an old and 

 rheumatic man trying on a tight-fitting coat in front of 

 a lookino-olass, and endeavourino- to see for himself 



