THE STRAIT OF MAGELLAN. 93 



twenty-nine or thirty pounds ; those who ate of them said 

 they were very good." The first detailed account, however, 

 of the habits of the steamer-duck is given by that intelligent 

 and accurate observer of nature. Captain Philip Parker King, 

 in his narrative of the voyage of the "Adventure" and 

 " Beagle." He states that, at Eagle Bay, beyond Cape San 

 Isidro, in the Strait of Magellan,* he "saw, for the first 

 time, that most remarkable bird the steamer -duck," and 

 observes that, " before steamboats were in general use, this 

 bird was denominated, from its swiftness in skimming over 

 the surface of the water, the 'race-horse,' a name which 

 occurs frequently in Cook's, Byron's, and other voyages. It is 

 a gigantic duck, the largest I have met. It has the lobated 

 hind toe placed far backwards, and other characteristics of the 

 oceanic ducks. The principal peculiarity of this bird is the 

 shortness and remarkably small size of the wings, which, not 

 having sufficient power to raise the body, serve only to propel 

 it along rather than through the water, and are used like the 

 paddles of a steam-vesseL Aided by these and its strong 

 broad-webbed feet, it moves with astonishing velocity. It 

 would not be an exaggeration to state its speed at from twelve 

 to fifteen miles an hour. The peculiar form of the wing, 

 and the short rigid feathers which cover it, together with the 

 power this bird possesses of remaining a considerable time 

 under water, constitute a striking link between the genera 

 Anas and Aptenodytes, It has been noticed by many former 

 navigators. The largest we found measured forty inches 

 from the extremity of the bill to that of the tail, and weighed 

 thirteen pounds ; but Captain Cook mentions, in his voyage, 

 that the weight of one was twenty-nine pounds. It is very 

 difficult to kiU them, on account of their wariness and the thick 



* This was about the beginning of 1827. 



