brooks: FALKLAND ISLAND BIRDS. 141 



the young sprawl with wings outstretdu'd and tVrt extended behind. 

 In this attitnde the bird sleeps soundly, and one ean he a[)proach('d 

 without waking so as to touch it with one's hoot. A bird suddenly- 

 aroused in this manner requires a surprising length of time to realize 

 what is the matter and adopt some measure for i)r()teetion, due no 

 doubt to their eyes being better adapted to subaquatic vision. 



One of the most astonisliing characteristics of these birds is their 

 ability to go to and from the sea in the heaviest surf, which in the 

 Falklands far exceeds what prevails in the north Atlantic. On enter- 

 ing the water they are in a great hurry to l)ecome submerged where 

 naturally their progress is far more rapid. On reaching the wash 

 of the waves they often lie flat on their bellies in water that does 

 not nearly cover, and beat their wings rapidly but w'ith no results; 

 until they arise and walk to deeper water, or an incoming wave over- 

 takes them in their futile endeavors, and covers them sufficiently for 

 the use of their wings as they are swept to fleeper water. Generally 

 they come to the surface before each comber, and diving immediately 

 swim under it. Diving requires no eflfort or "curling over" as is 

 necessary with other water-fowl. A penguin floats so low that the 

 wings are always unfler water so that it can use them on the surface; 

 to submerge the bird merely puts its head under water and disappears. 

 I have never seen them use the feet in swimming, they are trailed 

 behind as with a flying bird. 



Coming in from the ocean is rather more of a struggle owing to the 

 undertow, but it is always successful. A group will be coming towards 

 the shore with characteristic porpoise-like plunges. When near the 

 shore they dive, and, approaching at a tremendous rate when in 

 about ten inches of water they pop up to a standing position, and the 

 indefinable shadows iuirtling in are transformed with the ([uickness of 

 a flash into dripping penguins running up through the spume onto the 

 dry beach. 



Their rapidity under water is well known and I estimated their 

 wing-strokes to be about two hundred to the minute. The dark body 

 of one of these birds tra\elling at full speed below the surface appears 

 more like the shadow of a small cloud borne rapidly along on the strong 

 Cape Horn westerly. The "porpoising" is very graceful, the birds 

 entering the water in clean cut dives like salmon. In fact a fellow- 

 passenger on the steamer from Port Stanley to Valparaiso thought a 

 flock of penguins "porpoising" alongside were fish of .some sort. 

 During these brief periods in the air these birds manage to inhale 

 sufficient ;i'r for their hunting below the surface. 



