Vol. XIII. ■ 



1914 



'] From Magazines, S-c. 221 



from south of America or from the longitude of Africa or of 

 Australia, throughout the circumference of this vast polar con- 

 tinent the Adehe Penguin is always one of the animals encountered 

 by the voyager on his route. This bird is everywhere, watches 

 over everything ; it is to him, indeed, that the Antarctic belongs. 

 Curious, unruly, violent, a chatterbox and blusterer, of an extra- 

 ordinary hvehness, you should see him dart like an arrow from 

 the water to a height of more than 2 meters, and fall vertically 

 down again on the piece of ice or the rock chosen for his resting- 

 place. 



" Never leaving these regions or passing north of 60° south 

 latitude, they people the isles of the frontier, the low elevations 

 of the Antarctic continent, on which, during a few months of the 

 year, the snow, in melting, leaves some clear spaces of soil. 



" On slightly uneven locations they settle in numerous colonies 

 during the period of breeding and raising their young, forming 

 these noisy cities, these rookeries, which number thousands, often 

 even tens of thousands, and sometimes even hundreds of thousands 

 of individuals. 



" After having abandoned their rookeries for the winter, which 

 they pass on the open sea, opposite the land ice, the Adelies return 

 in October to their cities and immediately take possession of their 

 rocks again. Indeed, these rocks are really theirs, for, according 

 to the observations made on the spot at Petermann's Island, where 

 the Pourquoi Pas wintered, I have ascertained, in the case of 

 the Gentoo as well as of the Adelie, that the same birds come 

 back to the same rookery year after year. 



" When the expedition arrived at Petermann's Island in 

 February, 1909, I put on the right leg of several Penguins (young 

 and old) some celluloid rings of various colours, according to the 

 age of the birds. In October and November, 1909, on the return 

 of the birds to their rookeries, I had the good fortune to recover 

 a score of adults marked by me nine months before. I did not, 

 however, recover any of the young, which seems to indicate that 

 they do not return to their birthplace and do not mate until two 

 years old. 



" Since the return of the expedition to France I have learned 

 that in November and December, 1910, some ringed birds had 

 been recovered by whalers who, during the summer months, went 

 in search of cetaceans in those regions. 



" The Adelie Penguin is a brave animal, and rarely flees from 

 danger. If it happen to be tormented it faces its aggressor and 

 ruffles the black feathers which cover its neck. Then it takes 

 a stand for combat, the body straight, the animal erect, the beak 

 in the air, the wings extended, not losing sight of its enemy. It 

 then makes a sort of purring, a muffled grumbling, to prove that 

 it is not satisfied and has not lost a bit of its firm resolution to 

 defend itself. In this guarded position it awaits events. If the 

 enemy beat a retreat, then the Penguin abandons its menacing 

 attitude ; often it stays on the spot ; sometimes it returns, and, 



