SPHENISCUS MAGELLANICUS 155 



is in the sea, where they swimm in such sort, as nature may 

 seeme to have granted them no small prerogatiue in swiftnesse, 

 both to prey vpon others, and themselues to escape from any 

 others that seeke to cease vpon them ; and such was the infinite 

 resort of these birds to these Hands, that in the space of 1 day 

 we killed no lesse than 3000." 



At " Pengin Island," near Port Desire, in 1587, Thomas 

 Cavendish " powdred three tunnes of Penguins for the victualing 

 of his shippe." 



Sir Richard Hawkins visited Penguin Island in the Strait of 

 Magellan in 1594, and his description of its inhabitants is through- 

 out full of original observations and quaint methods of expression. 



" The Pengwin," he says, " is in all proportion like a Goose, 

 and hath no feathers, but a certaine downe vpon all parts 

 of his bodie ; and therefore cannot flee, but auayleth himselfe in 

 all occasions with his feet, running as fast as most men. He 

 liueth in the Sea, and on the Land feedeth on fish in the Sea, and 

 as a Goose on the shore vpon grasse. They harbour themselues 

 vnder the ground in Burrowes, as the Conies ; and in them hatch 

 their young. All parts of the Hand where they haunted were 

 vndermined, saue onely one Valley which (it seemeth) they 

 reserued for their food ; for it was as greene as any Medow in 

 the moneth of Aprill, with a most fine short grasse. The flesh of 

 these Pengwins is much of the sauour of a certaine Fowle taken 

 in the Hands of Lundey and Silley, which we call Puffins, by the 

 taste it is easily discerned that they feed on fish. They are very 

 fat, and in dressing must be flead as the Byter ; they are 

 reasonable meate rosted, baked, or sodden ; but best rosted. 

 We salted some doozen or sixteene Hogsheads, which serued vs 

 (whilest they lasted) insteed of powdred Beefe. The hunting 

 of them (as wee may well terme it) was a great recreation to my 

 company and worth the sight, for, in determining to catch them, 

 necessarily was required good store of people, euery one with a 

 cudgell in his hand, to compasse them round about, to bring 

 them, as it were, into a Ring ; if they chanced to breake out, 



