GREAT AUK. 479 



in extremely boisterous weather. On being hauled on 

 board it was left at liberty on the deck. It walked very 

 awkwardly, often tumbling over ; bit every one within 

 reach of its powerful bill, and refused food of all kinds. 

 After continuing several days on board it was restored to 

 its proper element. When I was at Labrador, many of 

 the fishermen assured me that the Penguin, as they name 

 this bird, breeds on a low rocky island to the south east of 

 Newfoundland, where they destroy great numbers of the 

 young for bait ; but as this intelligence came to me when 

 the season was too far advanced, I had no opportunity of 

 ascertaining its accuracy. In Newfoundland, however, I 

 received similar information from several individuals. An 

 old gunner residing on Chelsea Beach, near Boston, told me 

 that he well remembered the time when the Penguins were 

 plentiful about Nahant, and some other islands in the bay." 



In summer-plumage the bill is black, very strong, com- 

 pressed, and marked with several lateral furrows ; the 

 irides reddish brown ; between the beak and the eye an 

 oval patch of white ; head, chin, and throat, hind neck, 

 back, wings, and tail black ; the ends of the secondary 

 wing-feathers white ; breast, and all the under surface of 

 the body white ; legs, toes, and their membranes black. 

 The whole length of the bird thirty-two inches ; the wing 

 from the wrist to the end of the longest quill-feather seven 

 inches ; of the longest feather alone but four inches and 

 one quarter. 



Dr. Fleming^ specimen obtained in winter, had the 

 chin, throat, and front of the neck white. Mr. Fox, in 

 reference to the specimen in the Newcastle Museum, says, 

 " Our bird is apparently a young one, the neck black, 

 spotted, or mottled with white ; upper mandible of the bill 

 with one large sulcus at the base, none at the tip." 



