5.20 Mr. W. L. Sclater on a 



and are a source of considerable revenue to the Colonial 

 Government. 



Being naturally anxious to see the breeding-place of the 

 Penguins, I took an opportunity afforded me of going to the 

 island in the company of an officer of the Public Works 

 Department, who was paying his monthly visit of inspection 

 to the lighthouse there. 



Dassen Island lies some forty miles to the north of Cape 

 Town up the coast, being about six miles from the nearest 

 point of tlie mainland, and the island or its lighthouse is 

 the first bit of South Africa seen from the steamers when 

 arriving from England. 



Leaving Table Bay in a small steamer about 1 a.m. on the 

 8th of July, we reached the island at about 6.30, just before 

 daybreak. We lauded close to the house of Mr. Almeda, 

 the Agent of the Colonial Grovernment who has entire charge 

 of the island, and soon after proceeded to the lighthouse, 

 which is situated towards its southern extremity about a mile 

 distant. The island is low and flat, and hardly rises more 

 than 20 or 30 feet above the level of the sea ; it is about 

 two miles long and one mile across at its widest point. 

 There are no trees on the island, but at the time of my visit 

 it was covered with a fresh growth of green herbage, which 

 later on, I was told, would attain a height of 5 or 6 feet. 

 Everywhere the ground was riddled with short wide burrows, 

 not more than a foot or so in depth, and each of these 

 burrows was the home of a pair of Penguins. It was 

 impossible to look in any direction without seeing countless 

 numbers of these birds. When approached, they as a rule 

 scuttle down into their burrows and lie down there, twisting 

 their heads round and round and looking at one in the most 

 comical way possible. If molested they endeavour to defend 

 themselves by snapping with their bills, and are able to inflict 

 a considerable bite if a hand or foot be placed incautiously 

 near them. If prevented from retreating into their burrows, 

 they waddle away in the usual upright position, and if hard 

 pressed flop down on their bellies and scramble along on all 

 fours, so to speak, endeavouring if possible to reach the sea. 



