THE NARRATIVE OF CHARLES WILKES. 367 
for they snapped at me in all directions, catching hold of my trousers, 
shaking and pinching my flesh so violently as to make me flinch and 
stand upon the defensive. As we wanted a number of specimens, I 
commenced kicking them down the precipice, and knocked on the head 
those which had the temerity to attack me. After having collected a 
number, and a few eggs, I laid them aside, whilst I ascended higher on 
the hill. J had not left them more than eighteen feet, before two 
albatrosses came down and commenced picking at the dead birds I had 
just killed, but not being able to make any impression upon them, delibe- 
rately picked up two of the eggs with their beaks, and, in spite of my 
efforts to prevent it, flew away with them. The eggs were about the 
size of a goose’s; the original colour seemed to have been white, but 
they were so dirty that it was difficult to say with certainty. They 
were no doubt the eggs of a penguin, as I took them out of their nest, 
which was only a small place scratched in the earth, just big enough to 
hold one or two eggs, with little or no grass, sticks, or anything else to 
form a nest of. I afterwards picked up a number of these eggs, and 
another was found of the size of a hen’s egg, white, with a slight 
tinge of green. On mounting still higher, which was very steep, and 
composed of volcanic rock, loose stones, and a little soil mixed with 
birdlime, I found that there were more of these birds than I anticipated. 
The nests were within two feet of each other, with one or two young 
ones in each; one of the old ones watching and sitting on the nest, 
whilst the young were trying ineffectually to nestle themselves 
under the small wings of the old ones. The appearance of the young 
was not unlike that of goslings, being covered with a dark thick down. 
“These penguins are the Hudyptes chrysocome ; they are from sixtcen 
to twenty inches in height, with white breast and nearly black back, 
the rest being of a dark dove-colour, with the exception of the head, 
which is adorned on each side with four or five yellow feathers, three or 
four inches long, looking like graceful plumes. The birds stand erect 
in rows, which gives them the appearance of Liliputian soldiers. The 
sight was novel and beautiful, and had it not been for the gabble— 
enough to deafen me—TI could have stayed much longer. It was now 
time to return to the boat, when it occurred to me that live birds would 
be preferable to the dead; so, throwing the latter down, I seized one 
old and a couple of young ones, and with three or four eggs in my cap, 
made the best of my way to the boat. It was now found impossible to 
hand them on board, and not willing to surrender my prize, a lead-line 
was thrown me from the boat, but did not come near enough, and in my 
attempts to get it, I was overtaken by a sea, and was thrown violently 
against the rocks among the kelp, and just made out to crawl on 
hands and knees beyond the reach of the returning sea, somewhat 
bruised, wet, and benumbed with the cold.” 
At this juncture, the quarter-master returned with a large species of 
