1 34 Revieius. [, s fo«. 



Concerning this curious inhabitant of Antarctica the following 

 are the graphic field observations of Mr. Bernacchi : — 



" The arrival of the small Penguins at Cape Adare presented a most 

 curious appearance. When walking on the rough ice they struttle along 

 upright, but as soon as they reach ice upon which there is some snow they 

 drop down on their breasts and glide along toboggan fashion, making use 

 of nippers as welhas feet. They all travelled along the same path, which 

 soon became blood-stained from their bleeding feet, cut by the projecting 

 pieces of ice. They came from the north, and must have travelled at least 

 20 miles over very rough ice. Some landed upon the pebbly shore at Cape 

 Adare, and nearly all at the same spot, but others continued to journey 

 southwards towards the bottom of Robertson Bay, where there was another 

 rookery. It was like an immense army. For fourteen days they came in. 

 an absolute unbroken continuation. One day we witnessed the black 

 meandering line of Penguins from the summit of Cape Adare, and could 

 trace it for quite two miles out towards the northern horizon. 



" They did not in the least hurry themselves, but trudged along steadily 

 in their own phlegmatic way. Their pace was, perhaps, one mile an hour. 

 When approached by anyone they stop, and make no attempt to get out of 

 the way, but they shorten their necks and lower their beaks until they 

 assume the appearance of looking down their noses ; then they slowly 

 stretch their necks and raise their beaks until they point upwards towards 

 the sky, making at the same time a droll raucous cry — all this with a most 

 ludicrous aspect of indignation, as no doubt they were profoundly indignant. 

 Sometimes one or more of the most audacious would rush out from among 

 their companions and attack you furiously ; on presenting the sole of the 

 foot — booted, of course — they peck at it viciously, and with such vigour 

 as to leave marks upon the hard frozen leather. They do not give way 

 an inch of ground, but stand up before you erect and determined. 



" As to their general habits : On landing they made straight for a certain 

 spot ; some to the summit of the Cape, up the snow slope of which they 

 climb with great facility, some to the base of the mountain, and others 

 scattered over the shore. They congregate together in communities or 

 social coteries of 50 upwards. On reaching the spot they immediately start 

 to build their nests, in which work the male as well as the female participates. 

 The nests are crude affairs ; the first operation consists of scratching a small 

 depression in the old guano ; then pebbles are carried to it in their bills 

 and piled around, and as soon as it is completed, which takes a day or so, 

 the female sits in it and the male commences his courtship. It was highly 

 amusing to watch their love antics. Some are industrious, and pile around 

 many hundreds of small pebbles ; others — the lazy ones — were quite proud 

 and delighted with only half a dozen. On approaching the former nests, 

 the occupants generally modestly retreated before the intruder, but on 

 approaching the latter — the lazy ones, with absolutely nothing to boast 

 about — they made an enormous fuss and rushed at you to bluff you away 

 with their own prowess. It was laughable to watch how they pilfered 

 stones from each other's nest ; they are most shameless thieves. The thief 

 slowly approaches the one he wishes to rob, with the most creditable air of 

 nonchalance and disinterestedness, and if on getting close the other looks at 

 him suspiciously, he will immediately gaze around most childlike and bland, 

 and appear to be admiring the scenery. The assumption of innocence is 

 perfect ; but no sooner does the other look in a different direction, than he 

 will dart down upon one of the pebbles of its nest and scamper away with it 

 in his beak as fast as his little legs will bear his fat body. If the theft is 



