272 



A COURSE ON ZOOLOGY. 



elongated ; the legs, on the contrary, are short. Some, 

 such as the albatross, have powerful wings, adapted for 

 rapid flight ; others, like the penguin, cannot fly at 

 all, but the rudimentary wing is used as an aid in 

 swimming. 

 Pygopodes. The legs are inserted far behind, giving 



FIG. 213. 



KING PENGUIN (Aptenodytes pennantii). 



the body a vertical position when standing, and the bird 

 cannot walk well ; the tail-feathers are absent or very 

 short. The penguins are the largest of this order, stand- 

 ing as high as four feet. They are found in Antarctic 

 and South-Temperate regions, and pass more than six 

 months of the year on the sea, approaching the shores 

 only at the breeding season, and remaining there 

 during the incubation of the eggs and the rearing of 

 the young. The wings are only a sort of flippers cov- 

 ered with scale-like feathers, and they are often consid- 

 ered as a distinct order called "Impennes," They are 



