THE PENGUIN KIND. Q?3 



i« not much bigger than a pigeon, when once it has 

 risen it can continue its flight with great celerity, 

 though it seldom chooses very elevated spots for the 

 purpose of forming its nest. 



During the winter, all the birds of this species are 

 absent ; but, about the latter end of March, or the be- 

 ginning of April, a troop of spies or harbingers appear, 

 which, after taking a survey of their former situations, 

 again depart, but return in the course of a month or 

 five weeks, attended by the whole body of their com- 

 panions. 



The pufHn, when it prepares for breeding, which aU 

 ways happens a few days after its arrival, begins to 

 scrape up a hole in the ground not far from the shore, 

 and when it has penetrated some way into the earth, it 

 then throws itself upon its back, and, with bill and 

 claws, burrows inward, till it has dug a hole, with se- 

 veral windings and turnings, from eight to ten feet 

 deep : in this fortified retreat it lays one egg, which, 

 though the bird is not much bigger than a pigeon, is 

 quite as large as that of a hen. When the young one 

 is excluded, the courage and industry of the parent is 

 incredible, and few birds or beasts will venture to at- 

 tack them in their retreats. When the great sea-raven 

 approaches, the puffin catches him under the throat 

 with his beak, sticks its claws into his breast, and in 

 vain the tortured animal attempts to get away, for the 

 little bird sticks close to the invader, nor lets go his 

 hold till they both come to the sea, where they drop 

 down together, and the raven is generally drowned. — 

 Though this fate sometimes attends the depredator, it 

 often happens that both mother and the young one arc 

 devoured ; for if the puffin happens to be at the bottom 

 ef her hole, she is not able to make any defence. 



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