Birds of Kerguelen Island. 33 



drive them into a corner by pecking. This made an ex- 

 cellent photograph. 



Stage b. When in close down, about half-grown, the 

 youtig is brownish black on the back, throat, under tail- 

 coverts, and head ; from the lower throat to the vent cream- 

 white, deepening in the abdominal region ; bill black, 

 except the sides of the distal ends of the mandibles, which 

 are greenish yellow ; legs and feet chalky white in front, 

 except the webs between the middle and outer toes, which 

 are dark, blackish brown behind ; nails dark horn-colour. 



A third stage, which I observed in this rookery, corre- 

 sponds with E. chrysocome, and perhaps belongs to the 

 latter. There were several examples, and I feel inclined to 

 consider it an intermediate stage ; but among all the speci- 

 mens seen I could not find connecting links to thoi'oughly 

 satisfy myself on this point. I was rather surprised to find, 

 as early as January 2nd, one of this stage among 160 full- 

 grown E. chrysocome in the rookery at Murray Island. 

 Why was it there by itself, among birds sitting on eggs? 

 While preparing the skin of this bird (a male), I found 

 it was not fatty like an adult Penguin. 



Aptenodytes pennanti Gray. 



Aptenodytes patagonica, Grant, Cat. B. xxvi. p 627. 



King-Penguins were met with by us in all the harbours we 

 visited, and I noted them singly or in companies of about 

 six to nine birds. Upon the open coast our field-glasses 

 showed great numbers in association. In the early part 

 of January they had either concluded their moult or were 

 undergoing it. One I saw was standing against a prominent 

 rock, quite a mile apart from any others, and inland 200 

 yards from the head of a fjord, some six miles from the 

 entrance. Feathers were strewn thickly about, and its flanks 

 were bare. It objected to move on by order of a stranger, 

 and needed pushing before it would shift its position. This 

 is usually so when the bird is solitary, or if it moves it 

 does so sluggishly ; but birds in company are more active 

 and shy, and will run well if driven when disturbed ; the 



VOL. VII. VOL. VI. i) 



