1868.] THE SECRETARY ON ADDITIONS TO THE MENAGERIE. 52" 



7. A young female Sea-Lion {Otaria jubata), from the Falkland 

 Islands, received August 24th. 



This individual was the only survivor of eight examples of this 

 animal captured in various spots on the coast of the Falklands by 

 Adolphe Alexandre Lecomte, the Society's keeper, who had been 

 sent out there by the Council of the Society for the purpose of ob- 

 taining living specimens of it. 



Lecomte left Swansea on the 1st of June, 1867, in the coal-ship 

 'Epsilon' (Capt. "Williams), and arrived at Port Stanley on the 11th 

 of August. The first fortnight after his arrival he devoted to excur- 

 sions along the shores in the vicinity of Port Stanley, but found 

 little of interest here except Upland Geese (Chlo'ephaga magellanica). 

 Kelp Geese (C. antarcticd), and other birds, and a single Sea- 

 Leopard {Stenorhynchus leptonyx) shot in a remote part of Stanley 

 Harbour, being the only specimen of this animal met with during his 

 stay in the Falklands. In the middle of September Lecomte went 

 to Capt. Packe's establishment at Island Harbour, and stayed there 

 a month, searching the creeks and shores diligently in that vicinity. 

 "Elephant Island," in this neighbourhood, so called from the former 

 abundance there of the Sea-Elephant {Morunga proboscidea), was 

 found to be quite deserted by this animal, which is said to be now 

 entirely extinct in the Falklands, though its former abundance in 

 certain spots is well known, and is further testified by remains of its 

 bones aud teeth met with on the shores, specimens of which were 

 obtained and brought home. In December Lecomte returned to 

 Port Stanley, where Governor Robinson most kindly gave him a 

 room in Government House whilst engaged in preparing specimens 

 and prosecuting researches for the Society. His Excellency likewise 

 allowed him the use of a schooner of eight tons burden, in which he 

 made several voyages to Volunteer Lagoon and the adjoining shores 

 of East Falkland. This was in the month of December, when the 

 various species of Penguins are most easily captured. On the north 

 shore of East Falkland, to which he crossed from Volunteer Lagoon, 

 Lecomte found a large "rookery" of Gentoo Penguins {Pygosceles 

 wagleri) ; amongst them were about twenty King-Penguins {Apte- 

 rodytes pennantii). Lecomte captured about a dozen individuals of 

 each of these species, and about the same number of the Rock-hopj)er 

 Penguin {Eudyptes nigrivestis, Grould), Macaroni-Penguin {E. 

 chrysolophus), and Jackass Penguin {Spheniscus magellanicus), all 

 of which were assembled together at Port Stanley at the end of 

 December 1867. Lecomte remarked that the Macaroni-Penguin 

 does not constitute rookeries of its own, but is found sparingly mixed 

 up among the Rock-hoppers in certain locahties. But at Eagle 

 Point, where there is a large rookery of Rock-hoppers (consisting 

 of, perhaps, 40,000 birds j, not a single Macaroni was found. He 

 likewise noted that the Jackass Penguin differs entirely from the 

 other species in its method of breeding, as it lays its egg at the end 

 of a deep burrow (sometimes 20 feet from the orifice) which it 

 excavates near the sea-shore*. 



* Cf. Capt. Abbott's notes in ' The Ibis,' 1860, p. 336, et 1861, p. 163. 



