Vol. XVII, 



1918 



1 NicHOLLs, Study of Penguins on The Nobbies, Vic. 123 



Sydney Cove, who in those days hved the hves of Bass Strait 

 buccaneers ? 



In 1827 E. minor {Aptenodytes minor) was described in King's 

 " Voyages! 1 to the Inter-Tropical and Western Coast of Aus- 

 traha in 1815 and 1822." He states: — "This bird is common 

 in all parts of the Southern Ocean. The above specimen was found 

 at King George the Third's Sound, near the south-west extremity 

 of New Holland." 



Summary of Previous Workers. 



Spheniscus, minor = E. minor. — Gould's " Birds of Australia,"* 

 vol. vii.,1- states : — " There is no external difference observable 

 in the sexes. The feathers of the upper surface light blue, with a 

 fine black line down the centre of each, the whole of the under 

 surface silvery-white ; eyes flat, inside pale buffy-white, with a 

 network of dark brown round the outer margin and with a fine 

 ring of the same colour near the pupil, giving the appearance of 

 a double iris ; bill brown colour, deepening into slaty black on 

 the culmen and tip ; feet yellowish- white ; nails black." 



Spheniscus iindina = E. undina. — Of this species Gould states 

 that "it is considerably less in size than E. minor, from which it 

 also differs in its comparatively smaller wing and in the deeper 

 blue colouring of the upper surface of the body. By many persons 

 it might be regarded as the young of E. minor, but I invariably 

 found the young of that species,' while still partially clothed in 

 the downy dress of immaturity, to exceed considerably in size 

 all the examples of this new species, even when adorned in the 

 adult livery and possessing the hard bill of maturity. There can 

 be no question of the two birds being distinct. The whole of the 

 upper surface black, and upper side of the wings glassy light blue, 

 with a narrow stripe of black down the centre of each feather, 

 the black mark being broadest and most conspicuous on the back : 

 all the under surface of the body, the under side and inner margin 

 of the upper side of the wings, and inner web of the tail feathers 

 silky-white ; bill reddish-hroivn beneath, black above ; feet yellowish- 

 white." 



Gregory Mathews '' gives the following measurements : — J — 

 Total length, 398 mm. Culmen — length, 38 mm. ; depth, 12 mm. ; 

 flippers, III mm. ; tail, 28 ; tarsus, 24 ; middle toe and claw, 48. 



F. M. Littler.^^ — ^, 425 mm. ; bill, 39 ; wing, 75 ; tarsus, 19. 

 $, 400 mm. ; bill, 35 ; wing, 65 ; tarsus, 18. 



Describing birds of Ninth Island, off Tasmania, he says : — " It 

 is always an easy matter to separate the sexes, the male being much 

 stouter in build. . . Another point of difference exists in the 

 bills. That of the male is a stout, formidable weapon, whilst that 



* Gould does not give any measurements. 



