142



Mr. Lee S. Crandall,



Ichaboe Island, near Angra Pequena. Four eggs from this locality,

now before us, are rounded, slightly pointed at one end, and covered

with a chalky incrustation, which if scraped away reveals the white,

slightly polished surface of the true shell.


We are much indebted to the kindness of Dr. Hornaday, who

not only gave permission to reproduce this beautiful study, but also

sent a special photograph for the purpose. G. E.



THE JACKASS OR BLACK-FOOTED

PENGUIN*


By Lee S. Crandall.


As the seals are among mammals, so are the penguins among

birds. Perfectly adapted for an aquatic existence, they are as much

out of place on land as are their mammalian parallels. As the

limbs of seals are specialised for swimming, so are the wings of

Penguins modified for this mode of progression. On land, the

Penguin is at a disadvantage and walks awkwardly. Usually it

remains erect, moving with a curious waddling gait, but when

closely pursued, it drops to the ground and, aided by its flipper-like

wings, is able to travel more rapidly. When crossing rough ground

it leaps from rock to rock, balancing carefully with its stumpy

wings.


In its natural element, however, the Penguin is a creature

transformed. It darts about with incredible rapidity, so swiftly that

the eye can scarcely follow its movements. The wings are moved

synchronously, not alternately, as has often been stated. The feet

play no active part in swimming, except possibly as an aid in

steering, and trail helplessly behind, bottoms upward.


The Penguins are an isolated group, having no near relatives.

It is evident that they formed an early branch from the avian stem,

and they retain many primitive characteristics. The feathers are

poorly developed, and scale-like, especially those of the wings, where

the primaries are hardly differentiated from their coverts. Thejgfcues



[Reprinted from the Bulletin of the New York Zoological Society].



