72 



THE CONDOR 



Vol. IX 



other character distinguishing the Pengnins from all other birds is the degenerate 

 condition of the wings, which are reduced to flattened inflexible paddles or flippers 

 without any wing quills. 



Penguins are confined to the southern and Antarctic seas. In the far south 

 they form the most characteristic feature of those inhospitable regions. In addition 

 to the shores of the Antarctic Continent and the various Islands of the South Seas 

 they are found around the coasts of New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and 

 South America. The most northerly point at which Penguins have been hitherto 

 met with are the Galapagos Islands off the coast of Equador on the Equator in the 

 Pacific. 



On the coasts of South Africa only one species is met with. This is the Black- 

 footed or Jackass Penguin {Spliciiisciis deinersns) which makes up in numbers for 

 the lack of variety. It is found everywhere along the coasts from the southern 



BLACK-KOOTED PENGUINS ON DASSEN ISLAND, SOUTH AFRICA 



part of Angola on the west as far as Port Elizabeth on the south, and can be seen 

 at any time swimming about in the sea quite unconcerned, even in the harbour at 

 Cape Town. These Penguins never voluntarily come ashore on the mainland but 

 resort to certain small islands all along the coast for breeding purposes. Here they 

 are to be seen in enormous numbers at certain times of the year and it is the pur- 

 pose of this article to describe a visit to one of these islands made in order to 

 observe these and other sea birds. 



The particular island which I last visited is called Dassen Island and lies about 

 forty miles north of Cape Town and four or five miles from the nearest point of the 

 mainland. It is low and sandy, about two miles long by about a mile across. My 

 wife, to whom I am indebted for the photographs used to illustrate this article, and 

 I, left Cape Town on February the third last year in a Government tug, in company 



