THE PENGUIN. 



217 



the body in progression from side to side ; and 

 were they not assisted by their wings, they 

 could scarcely move faster than a tortoise. 



This awkward position of the legs, which 

 so unqualifies them for living upon land, 

 adapts them admirably for a residence in 

 water. In that, the legs placed behind the 

 moving body, pushes it forward with the 

 greater velocity; and these birds, like Indian 

 canoes, are the swiftest in the water, by hav- 

 ing their paddles in the rear. Our sailors, 

 for this reason, give these birds the very 

 homely, but expressive, name of arse-feet. 



Nor are they less qualified for diving than 

 swimming. By ever so little inclining their 

 bodies forward, they lose their centre of 

 gravity ; and every stroke from their feet only 

 tends to sink them the faster. In this manner 

 they can either dive at once to the bottom, or 

 swim between two waters ; where they con- 

 tinue fishing for some minutes, and then 

 ascending, catch an instantaneous breath, to 

 descend once more to renew their operations. 

 Hence it is, that these birds, which are so 

 defenceless, and so easily taken by land, are 

 impregnable by water. If they perceive 

 themselves pursued in the least, they instantly 

 sink, and show nothing more than their bills, 

 till the enemy is withdrawn. Their very 

 internal conformation assists their power of 

 keeping long under water. Their lungs are 

 fitted with numerous vacuities, by which 

 they can take in a very large inspiration ; 

 and this probably serves them for a length of 

 time. 



As they never visit land, except when they 

 come to breed, their feathers take a colour 

 from their situation. That part of them which 

 has been continually bathed in the water, is 

 white ; while their backs and wings are of 

 different colours, according to the different 

 species. They are also covered more warmly 

 all over the body with feathers, than any 

 other birds whatever ; so that the sea seems 

 entirely their element : and but for the neces- 

 sary duties of propagating their species, we 

 should scarcely have the smallest opportunity 

 of seeing them, and should be utterly unac- 

 quainted with their history. 1 



1 The Crested Penguin, (see Plate XX. fig. 33.) is 

 the most beautiful of the penguin tribe. It is nearly 

 two feet in length. The female is destitute of the 

 crest. These birds have also the names of hopping 

 penguins, and jumping jack, from their action of leaping 

 quite out of the water, sometimes three or four feet, on 

 meeting with any obstacle in their course; and, indeed, 

 they frequently do this without any other apparent 

 cause than the desire of advancing by that means. 

 They are inhabitants of several of the South Sea islands. 



The Manchots bear a close relation to the penguins, 

 but are found only in the antarctic seas and islands, 

 while the penguins inhabit the northern seas. Instead 

 of wings, they have simple winglets, which perform the 

 ofTice of oars or fins. 



vor. n. 



Of all this tribe, the Magellanic Penguin 

 is the largest, and the most remarkable. In 

 size it approaches near that of a tame goose. 

 It never flies, as its wings are very short, and 

 covered with stiff hard feathers, and are 

 always seen expanded, and hanging uselessly 

 down by the bird's sides. The upper part of 

 the head, back, and rump, are covered with 

 stiff black feathers ; while the belly and 

 breast, as is common with all of this kind, 

 are of a snowy whiteness, except a line of 

 black that is seen to cross the crop. The 

 bill, which from the base to about half way is 

 covered with wrinkles, is black, but marked 

 crosswise with a stripe of yellow. They 

 walk erect, with their heads on high, their 

 fin-like wings hanging down like arms ; so 

 that to see them at a distance, they look like 

 so many children with white aprons. From 

 hence they are said to unite in themselves the 

 qualities of men, fowls, and fishes. Like 

 men, they are upright; like fowls, they are 

 feathered ; and like fishes, they have fin-like 

 instruments, that beat the water before, and 

 serve for all the purposes of swimming, rather 

 than flying. 2 



2 " This day we visited what they call a ' penguin 

 rookery.' The spot of ground occupied by our settlers 

 is bounded on each end by high bluffs, which extend far 

 into the sea, leaving a space in front, where all their 

 hogs run nearly wild, as they are prevented going be- 

 yond those limits by those natural barriers; and the 

 creatures who, at stated periods, come up from the sea, 

 remain in undisturbed possession of the beaches beyond 

 our immediate vicinity. The weather being favour- 

 able, we launched our boat early in the morning, for the 

 purpose of procuring a supply of eggs for the consump- 

 tion of the family. We heard the chattering of the 

 penguins from the rookery long before we landed, which 

 was noisy in the extreme, and groups of them were 

 scattered all over the beach; but the high thick grass on 

 the declivity of the hill seemed their grand establish- 

 ment, and they were hidden by it from our view. As 

 we could not find any place where we could possibly 

 land our boat in safety, I and two mere swam on shore 

 with bags tied round our necks to hold the eggs in, and 

 the boat with one of the men lay off; out of the surf. I 

 should think the ground occupied by these birds (if I 

 may be allowed so to call them) was at least a mile in 

 circumference, covered in every part with grasses and 

 reeds, which grew considerably higher than my head ; 

 and on every gentle ascent, beginning from the beach, 

 on all the large gray rocks, which occasionally appeared 

 above this grass, sat perched groups of these strange and 

 uncouth-looking creatures ; but the noise which rose up 

 from beneath baffles all description ! As our business 

 lay with the noisy part of this community, we quickly 

 crept under the grass, and commenced our plundering 

 search, though there needed none, so profuse was the 

 quantity. The scene altogether well merits a better 

 description than I can give' thousands and hundreds of 

 thousands of these little two-legged erect monsters hop- 

 ping around us, with voices very much resembling in 

 tone that of the human ; aJl opening their throats to- 

 gether; so thickly clustered in groups, that it was 

 almost impossible to place the foot without despatching 

 one of them. The shape of the animal, their curious 

 motions, and their most extraordinary voices, made me 



