2O2 SOME BIRDS OF SOUTH AFRICA 



how it fitted at the back. I was just going to photo- 

 graph this bird, which was standing on a piece of 

 shelving rock near the margin of the shore, when a 

 big wave licked it up most unceremoniously, rolling 

 the bird over and over down the sloping rock and 

 into the sea. Whether these contortions were put on 

 by this bird because of the unusual presence of visitors 

 to the island, or whether they were of everyday 

 occurrence I do not know, probably the latter, as I 

 remember noticing at the time several other Penguins, 

 themselves concealed in a small cave, who were appar- 

 ently enjoying the spectacle, until all were rudely swept 

 up by the wave. My friend stayed about here to 

 photograph some groups of Penguins, while I walked 

 part of the way round the island to see what I could 

 find of interest. I soon came to a small inlet between 

 the rocks, up which the waves were breaking with 

 considerable force, while on either side of these rocks 

 were standing groups of Penguins. I found that if I 

 approached them too quickly they took to the water at 

 once, one bird usually leading the way, and the rest 

 following, at first slowly, and then helter-skelter, many 

 of them rolling down the rock in their eagerness to 

 reach the sea. These birds, commonly called the 

 " Jackass " Penguin, from the peculiar braying noise 

 that they make, are totally unable to fly, and walk 

 with extreme ungainliness. I found that the most suc- 

 cessful way to obtain photographs of them was to drive 

 them into the sea and then wait quietly with the 

 camera, when after a little while they would gradually 

 take to the rocks again. 



It was amusing to watch them doing this, and I 



