366 VERTEBRATA. AVES. 



Pacific Ocean. The number of Penguins collected 

 together in this spot is immense ; but it would be al- 

 most impossible to guess at it with any near approach 

 to truth, as, during the whole of the day and night, 

 thirty thousand or forty thousand of them are conti- 

 nually landing, and an equal number going to sea. 

 They are arranged, when on shore, in as compact a 

 manner, and in as regular ranks as a regiment of sol- 

 diers ; and are classed with the greatest order, the 

 young birds being in one situation, the moulting 

 birds in another, the sitting hens in a third, the clean 

 birds in a fourth, &c. ; and so strictly do birds in 

 similar condition congregate, that should a bird that 

 is moulting intrude itself among those which are 

 clean, it is immediately ejected from among them. 



" The females hatch the eggs by keeping them close 

 between their thighs ; and if approached during the 

 time of incubation, move away, carrying the eggs 

 with them. At this time the male bird goes to sea 

 and collects food for the female, which becomes very 

 fat. After the young is hatched, both parents go to 

 sea, and bring home food for it ; it soon becomes so 

 fat as scarcely to be able to walk, the old birds get- 

 ting very thin. They sit quite upright in their roost- 

 ing-places, and walk in the erect position, until they 

 arrive at the beach, when they throw themselves on 

 their breasts, in order to encounter the very heavy 

 sea met with at their landing-place."* This species 

 has a long slender beak ; but some have it broad, and 

 flattened sideways, shaped like the blade of a thick 



pocket-knife. 



* Proc.Zool.Soc., 1834, p. 34. 



