980 



ON THE MOULT OF THE KING PENGUIN. [NoV. 28, 



8. Further Notes on the Moult of the King Penguin {Apteno- 

 dytes pennanti) living in the Society's Gardens. By 

 W. E. DE WiNTON, F.Z.S. 



[Keceived November 24, 1899.] 



Some observations on tbe moult of the King Penguin were 

 offered by me in November 1898 (see P. Z. S. 1898, p. 900). I 

 am now able to supplement those notes by fui'ther important 

 particulars, tbe same bird, still alive and well in tbe Society's 

 Grardeus, having again gone successfully through the moult. 



The dates given for last year were again closely adhered to, and 

 the succession of changes were made pretty much in the same order ; 

 but I am able now to explain fully the very strange appearance 

 of the old feathers, which were theu likened to withered leaves. 

 The coloured portion of the sheath of the bill was shed as before. 



An examination of the fresbly moulted feathers showed that 

 the bases were unlike those of the feathers of any other bird so far 

 as I am aware. 



Feathers of Aptenodytes pennanti. 



A. Part of uew feather of flipper, with old feather still attached. 



B. Moulted breast-feather, showing flexible sheath attached to its base. 



The quill does not end sharply with a contracted base, but is shed 

 with a flexible sheath attached to it (fig. B). This sheath, which is a 

 continuation of the outer coat of the quill, is, in the body-feathers, 

 as long as the naked part of the shaft. On handhng the bird it 

 w as found that its enlarged puffed-out appearance at the beginning 

 of the moult arose from the old plumage being actually raised, and 

 now adheriug only to the new feathers that were growing mto the 



