TjO MACCilAKIK ISl.AMi AND ITS h-TTriJE, 



serious effect in the birth-rate in the case of such poly- 

 jramous animals. 



The next creatures to attract the attention of the oil 

 seekers would be the handsome King penguins at Lusitania 

 Bay, the only rookery of this the largest of the Subant- 

 arctic penguins, that now exists(i''* in the Australasian seas. 

 The oil yield of this penguin of course exceeds that of the 

 smaller species, hence the persecution these birds have suf- 

 fered, resulting in the dwindling of the rookery to a mere 

 handful — perhaps a few hundred birds — at the present day. 

 They are indeed in serious peril of extinction in the near 

 future, though the sealers have ceased to trouble them of 

 late years, beyond levying a not inconsiderable toll upon 

 their eggs on account of their palatability. 



Compare, this state of affairs with the position in the 

 year 1894 as reported by Mr.' A. HamiltondS). 



"At Lusitania Bay we went in and dropped anchor 

 "within a fev/ hundred yards of the shore in 15 fathoms of 

 "water." . . . "We had to amuse ourselves by watching 

 "the thousands of King penguins sporting around us. ..." 



"The factory at Lusitania at the King penguin rookery 

 "is not now used; the great heap of refuse testifies to the 

 "great numbers of the birds destroyed. No impression, 

 "however, seems to have been made on the numbers occupy- 

 "ing the beach, as every available place seemed full of 

 "birds." 



"The interest and the novelty of the sight of thirty or 

 "forty acres of penguins (King) made up for the deafening 

 "noise and the fearsome smell. . . ." 



"Nearly the whole of Lusitania Beach, over half a mile 

 "in length, is occupied by King penguins." 



The lamentable dwindling of these once countless birds 

 has all taken place within a period of twenty years, during 

 the continuance of Mr. Hatch's connection with the island. 



The Royal penguins, which for some years past, in nor- 

 mal seasons, have been levied upon to the extent of ;]00,()(i() 

 birds per annum, have not given unmistakable evidence of 

 this drain upon their numbers. At least this was so in 

 the year 1913. Fortunately for them, several very large rook- 

 eries occur at other parts of the island inaccessible to the 

 sealers, and these must help to maintain the numbers at the 



(14) Mr. H. Hamilton, of the Australasian Antarctic Kxpcditiun, 

 found abundant bones of the Kinjt penKuin on the spit at the north 

 end of the island, indicating the site of another rookery apparently 

 wiped out during the reiftn of Ine sealers. 



<15) rroc. N.Z. Inst.. 1904, p. 562, cl »0ij. 



