62 ON THE MOULTING OP THE KING PENGUIN. 



to be helped by being pushed off by the bird's bill, or scratched off 

 with the feet. The new plumage was apparently fully grown before 

 the old feathers were shed, this giving rise to the very puffed out 

 appearance of the bird just before the actual feather-shedding 

 commenced. The throwing off of the old plumage proceeded 

 gradually in an vipward direction, and when it had been going on 

 for about a fortnight the bird presented the appearance of wearing 

 a cape (PI. I. fig. 1), the lower regions being clean-moulted while 

 the old feathers still adhered to the upper parts. The bird con- 

 tinued to rub off the feathers where it could reach them with 

 its bill, the continual moving of the head and neck causing 

 those on the throat to fall off and leave a triangular patch of 

 the new plumage visible. 



Bartlett noticed that in the case of Spheniscus the feathers of the 

 flipper-like wing flaked off in masses, and I took particular notice 

 of the King Penguin to see if the same phenomenon occurred, 

 and with the aid of the keeper. Pace, was able to secure a clump 

 of shed feathers which had come off en masse from the wing (fig. 2). 

 The feathers on the forehead were pushed up into projecting 

 ridges, which can be seen in the photogi-aph (fig. 1 ), by the new 

 plumage and probably flaked off in a mass, though we were un- 

 able to find them. Most of the feathers of the head and neck were, 

 however, scratched off with the bird's feet, the photograph (fig. 3) 

 showing the process of removing these feathers. Figures 3 and 4 

 show the bird nearly clean-moulted, patches of the old plumage 

 remaining only on the back of the head, the chest, and the back, 

 parts that could not easily be reached with the bill. Those on 

 the head were finally scratched off with the feet, but how the 

 others were removed, or whether they actually fell off finally 

 without assistance, is uncertain. 



The appearance of the shed feathers (fig. 5) is remarkable, the 

 main shaft being extraordinarily broad and flattened out like a 

 scale. The stem is bent away from the shaft almost at right 

 angles, and to the end of the shaft is affixed the sheath of the 

 nevv^ feather which, in growing, has pushed off the old. This 

 accounts for the fact of the feathers failing to fall off easily, but 

 having to be helped ofi" by the aid of the bird's bill or feet. The 

 two feathers at the top of the figure are from the tail, the bottom 

 one from the back, and the others from the abdomen. 



EXPLANATION OF PLATE I. 



Moult of the King Penguin {Aptenodytes pennanti), from photographs 

 taken by the author. 



Fig. 1. Two weeks after commencement of moult. 



Fig. 2. Moulted feathers from the wings. 



Fig. 3. Three weeks after commencement of moult. Scratching otf the old 



plumage from the head. 

 Fig. 4. Same period as fig. 3. 

 Fig. 5. Moulted feathers of the King Penguin. 



