and molters. 
times being bowled over by four or five 
successive breakers before they can 
scramble out of the undertow. 
When wading into the water the 
Johnny penguins invariably round their 
shoulders, bend down their heads almost 
to their feet, and scoop beneath the 
surface as soon as there is depth enough 
to float them. Once under way, all 
One is in the ecstatic attitude of trumpeting 
their terrestrial awkwardness vanishes. 
They swim with well-nigh incredible 
speed, remaining below the surface ex- 
cept when they leap out porpoise-like, giv- 
ing an audible gasp for air — to be gone 
again within the twinkling of an eye. 
One evening I stood knee-deep in the 
water of the Bay of Isles and watched 
at close quarters four Johnny penguins 
swimming. The sea was fairly calm, 
the water clear and brilliant in the sun- 
set light. The quartet of penguins 
darted hither and thither all about me, 
now and again almost brushing my legs. 
Frequently they rolled their backs above 
the surface, and more rarely they leapt 
out. I distinctly observed that the 
strokes of their flippers were sometimes 
made alternately and sometimes in 
unison. Probably they were feeding, 
although I could not see their prey. 
Whether for sport or a more serious 
purpose they occasionally swam in the 
ridge of an advancing swell, going so 
far up the beach that they were left 
stranded fora moment. Presently three 
of them walked out of the sea, shook the 
water from their tails and became so 
233 
