76 Stuart-Sutherland, Penguins. [isf'o'ct 



This Penguin, even as a straggler, is not seen on the New 

 Zealand coast, and is not mentioned by Buller in his manual. 

 The principal rookeries are on the Macquarie Islands, but the 

 greatest numbers are found on the South Orkney and South 

 Shetland island groups. Bruce says it was estimated that 

 upwards of one hmidred thousand " Gentoos " nested in the 

 Scotia Bay rookeries in 1903. On the Macquaries one or some- 

 times two eggs are laid during October or Novembof in a nest 

 formed of a few stones, but little or no attempt is made at nest- 

 building proper. The young, after the downy stage is past, are 

 similar in plumage to the adult save that the throat and chin are 

 white. 



Genus Caiarrhades. 



Bill moderate in length, but very stout ; sides of the upper 

 mandible much swollen near the base. Tail long, of 14 or 16 

 feathers. Upper tail coverts moderate to short. 



Catarr hades pachyrhynchus. Thick-billed Penguin. — Upper sur- 

 face of the body bluish-black, darker on the head and throat ; 

 a plume of golden-yellow feathers over each eye. Hutton says : — 

 " Posterior margin of the flipper with a very narrow white band 

 of one row of white feathers only." Eye brown. Feet pinkish- 

 ffesh colour above, black beneath. Length fairly constant — 28 

 inches ; wing, 8.4 to 9.1 inches ; bill, 2.8 to 3.0 inches ; tail, 1.2 

 inches (measurements taken in the flesh). Egg varying in shape 

 from long and tapering to short and globular ; size, 2.3 to 3.3 

 inches, the average being 2.8 inches ; colour — chalky outside, very 

 pale blue inside. 



This showy bird breeds in small colonies in caves at Preservation 

 Inlet. Upwards of sixty were found nesting in one cave, and 

 numerous observations and measurements were made of the 

 adults, young, and eggs. Several very interesting trips were made, 

 although the floor of the cave was coated with several inches of 

 shmy mud, and the walls and roof dripped horrible ooze. The 

 stench was awful, and breathing somewhat difficult, a match or 

 lantern burning with a dull yellowish flame. The first trip was 

 made on the i6th August, 1919, and only eggs were seen, some 

 heavily incubated. On the first fine day following — namely, the 

 22nd — we were lucky enough to strike a pair of chicks at the 

 moment of chipping the shells. One was taken and carefully 

 examined, and T .concluded that the young* are born blind. The 

 measurements are as follows : — Length, 6.1 inches ; wing, 1.4 

 inches ; and bill, 0.6 inch. The nail on the upper surface of the 

 mandible is ivory-white, and both martdinles are tipped with 

 reddish. There is a decided unfeathered tract down the centre 

 of the lower breast and abdomen. 



To be sure that the young are born blind, another visit was 

 undertaken six days later, and a chick then approximately six 

 days old was examined and found to be still blind. Bad weather — • 

 heavy gales and hail squalls — then came on, and it was impossible 

 to go again in a small flat-bottomed boat for nearly a fortnight, 



