Beischek. — On New Zealand Ornithology, 193 



4. Eudyptes pachyrhynchas. Yellow-crested Penguin. 



Tins noble bird lias been found on the coast of the South Island, but is 

 most plentiful in the West Coast Sounds, especially Dusky and Milford. 

 In Dusky Sound there are several colonies, two in Super Cove and one 

 on the west-north-west of Cooper's Island. These birds come on shore in 

 July, when they begin to build their nests, which consist of a few sticks and 

 leaves, which the male brings, while the female constructs a careless nest, 

 either in a cave between cliffs or under large stones, and lays one and some- 

 times two eggs, similar to those of the Eudyptula minor, only larger and with 

 a bluish tint. These birds breed in colonies. I have seen as many as 24 

 pairs together. Both sexes assist in hatching their eggs and rearing the 

 young birds. About the beginning of September the young are covered 

 slightly with down, the head and back black with a greyish tinge, the throat 

 and abdomen white. This down increases in thickness as the birds grow 

 larger. The female stays with the young the first few days and the male 

 brings the food, which consists of various fish, especially the rock cod 

 (Percis colzas), which they masticate. Afterwards they take it in turns to 

 attend the young. It is interesting to watch these birds : some on the 

 alert, some coming out of the water with their prey, and others searching 

 for their prey. When they are not disturbed they walk or hop upright 

 rather clumsily ; but when they are startled by an enemy they stoop down 

 and use their flappers as forelegs. For climbing up on the rocks they also 

 use their bills, when they get along very quickly. When anything ap- 

 proaches them they make a noise similar to a goose (Anser domesticus), 

 and the female goes quickly to her young, while the male, if he is near, 

 stops by the entrance of the burrow and bites furiously at any intruder. 

 As the caves were low and difficult to get at in my first efforts my dog and 

 I got many bites before we succeeded in securing any. Though clumsy on 

 land, they can be very swift in the water. When swimming the body is 

 under water and only the head out, and they swim slow. But when they 

 dive they go with great rapidity. I have noticed them in the severest gales 

 of wind, and it had not the slightest effect upon their movements, so great 

 is their power in their native element. During my six years' researches I 

 have only found two washed ashore. I have observed a colony of about 

 14 journeying to their breeding places together. On disturbing them 

 they went in a similar manner to the porpoises, jumping out of the water 

 and then diving with great rapidity to get out of the way. When these 

 birds get often disturbed they leave their breeding settlements and seek for 

 more solitary places, generally nearer the ocean, and more inaccessible. 

 Mr. Gidal told me that in Caswell Sound there have been for years 

 colonies breeding, but we could not find any of them, as the dogs drove them, 

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