232 ORNITHOLOGY OF THE SCOTTISH NATIONAL ANTAKCTIC EXPEDITION. 



no reliable evidence before that the Macaroni Penguin had occurred south of the 

 Falklands and South Georgia in the western Antarctic seas, or of Heard Island in 

 their eastern waters. 



Whether this species is an annual visitor, having breeding-grounds in the South 

 Orkneys, must remain an open question ; but it would seem not unlikely that such is 

 the case, perhaps on some of the unexplored islands of the archipelago.* 



Five specimens were obtained in 1904 in the penguin rookeries on Laurie Island. 

 These were mostly captured singly towards the end of summer, and are regarded as 

 being more or less immature birds. Two of them, namely those last obtained, are 

 decidedly younger than the rest, and have the merest indications of yellow feathers on 

 the sides of the crown, and also small bills. The remaining three are considered to be 

 not fully adult, and have well-developed tufts of golden-yellow (not orange) plumes, 

 but are otherwise mature in plumage and in the dimensions of their bills. 



The two younger birds are, there can be little doubt, birds of the year, and their 

 presence seems to point to the South Orkneys being their native land, for it is difficult 

 to believe that birds only a few weeks old could have accomplished the rough sea- 

 passage of 600 miles from their nearest known breeding-station at South Georgia. 



The three older specimens, though not fully adult, are probably about a year old, 

 though whether this species breeds at such an age is uncertain. 



None of these birds were observed in the autumn of 1903, when the Expedition 

 arrived, and their appearance in the summer of 1904 was a surprise to the explorers. 



The first specimen, a male, was captured on January 7th in a big penguin rookery at 

 Scotia Bay, where it was found amongst a crowd of P. adelise. Ten days later a female 

 was secured in exactly the same place ; and on the 29th of January another male, just 

 below where the previous captures had been made. These three were the not fully adult 

 birds alluded to, and the place where they were taken was so frequently visited that 

 it is thought to be most unlikely that they could have been bred there without 

 being detected. 



One of the younger birds was taken higher up in the same rookery on December 29th, 

 and the other was captured on the beach on February 6th. Both were males. 



Regarding the age of these specimens I was somewhat uncertain, and sought the 

 assistance of my friend Dr A. E. Wilson, of the National Antarctic Expedition, who 

 had had considerable personal experience with the allied Catarrhactes schlegeli, and 

 whose aid it is a pleasure to acknowledge. 



In connection with the occurrence of this species at the South Orkneys, it is well to 

 recall the fact that Capt. C. A. Larsen, of the Norwegian sealer Jason, informed 

 Dr Donald,f of the whaler Active, that he saw a rookery of Crested Penguins on the 

 South Orkneys. These birds he described as being intermediate in size between the 



* A Crested Penguin, supposed to be of this species, was found by Mr Paulsen on November 29th, 1907, 

 "occupying the same nest with one of the 'Kinged' species." Mossman, Scottish Geographical Magazine, xxiv., 

 1908, p. 354. 



t Of. Proc. Roy. Phys. Soc. Edin,, xii., 1894, p. 335. 



