490 Capi. CARMrciiAEL's Description of 



The D. chlororynchos builds its solitary nest in some sheltered 

 corner, selecting in particular the small drains that draw the 

 water off the land into the ravines. There it runs up its nest to 

 the height of ten or twelve inches, of a cylindrical form, with a 

 small ditch round the base. A curious circumstance with regard 

 to this bird is, that when irritated the feathers of its cheeks are 

 separated, so as to display a beautiful stripe of naked orange skin, 

 running from the corners of the mouth towards the back of the 

 head. 



All of these birds nourish their young by disgorging the con- 

 tents of their stomach. They are never observed to carry any ar- 

 ticle of food in their bill : those matters, indeed, from which they 

 derive the chief part of their sustenance, the blubber of dead 

 whales, seals, and sea-lions, would melt away if carried in the bill 

 to any distance. We could not help admiring the utter uncon- 

 sciousness of danger displayed by them on our approach: they 

 never showed the least disposition to move out of our way : even 

 when kicked or pulled off their nests, they made not the smallest 

 show of resistance ; but quietly returned to their post, or stood 

 still until we passed on. Their plumage is in the finest order, co- 

 pious, and without the slightest stain. They find great difficulty 

 in getting on Aving, and must run twenty or thirty yards along 

 the ground with expanded wings before they can get fairly under 

 way. We had the curiosity to take one of them by the point of 

 the wings and fling it over the rock ; yet, though it had several 

 hundred feet of a clear fall, it never recovered itself, but dropped 

 down like a stone. On this account, when not engaged with their 

 young, they usually rest upon the edge of the precipice, from 

 which they can launch at once into the air; and on entering again 

 upon that difficult part of our route, we had to kick upwards of 

 a dozen of them to the right and left of us before we could get on. 



We 



