﻿440 
  

  

  THE 
  NATIONAL 
  GEOGRAPHIC 
  MAGAZINE 
  

  

  KING 
  PENGUIN 
  TUCKING 
  THE 
  EGG 
  INTO 
  

   ITS 
  "pouch" 
  apter 
  RELIEV- 
  

   ING 
  ITS 
  MATE 
  

  

  These 
  birds 
  build 
  no 
  nests, 
  but 
  carry 
  their 
  

   single 
  egg 
  on 
  top 
  of 
  their 
  feet, 
  covering 
  it 
  

   with 
  a. 
  flap 
  of 
  skin. 
  If 
  a 
  bird 
  is 
  robbed 
  of 
  its 
  

   egg, 
  it 
  will 
  attempt 
  to 
  mother 
  a 
  stone. 
  

  

  wings 
  backward, 
  and 
  paying 
  no 
  attention 
  

   to 
  the 
  countless 
  neighbors 
  which 
  they 
  

   pass 
  on 
  their 
  way. 
  

  

  Once 
  in 
  the 
  ocean, 
  however, 
  all 
  their 
  

   awkwardness 
  vanishes. 
  They 
  swim 
  with 
  

   incredible 
  speed, 
  remaining 
  well 
  below 
  

   the 
  surface 
  except 
  when 
  they 
  leap 
  out 
  

   porpoise-like, 
  giving 
  an 
  audible 
  gasp 
  for 
  

   air 
  — 
  to 
  be 
  gone 
  again 
  within 
  the 
  twink- 
  

   ling 
  of 
  an 
  eye. 
  

  

  Their 
  fat 
  bodies 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  made 
  to 
  

   stand 
  hard 
  knocks, 
  for 
  not 
  only 
  do 
  they 
  

   tumble 
  down 
  frequently 
  wherever 
  the 
  

   walking 
  is 
  rough 
  on 
  shore, 
  but 
  they 
  also 
  

   suffer 
  fearful 
  batterings 
  on 
  the 
  shingle 
  

   when 
  they 
  come 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  surf, 
  some- 
  

   times 
  being 
  bowled 
  over 
  by 
  four 
  or 
  

   five 
  successive 
  breakers 
  before 
  they 
  can 
  

   scramble 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  undertow. 
  

  

  Toward 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  January 
  the 
  young 
  

   Johnny 
  penguins, 
  fully 
  grown, 
  but 
  still 
  

   clad 
  in 
  the 
  softest 
  of 
  gray, 
  furry 
  down, 
  

   permanently 
  desert 
  the 
  nests 
  and 
  congre- 
  

   gate 
  by 
  themselves, 
  under 
  the 
  guard 
  of 
  

  

  adult 
  nurses. 
  On 
  bright 
  days 
  they 
  herd 
  

   together 
  on 
  snow-banks 
  and 
  sun 
  them- 
  

   selves 
  ; 
  when 
  it 
  is 
  stormy 
  they 
  crouch 
  

   from 
  the 
  wind 
  in 
  sheltered 
  hollows. 
  They 
  

   are 
  dependent 
  upon 
  the 
  old 
  birds 
  for 
  their 
  

   food, 
  which 
  is 
  predigested 
  minced 
  shrimp, 
  

   until 
  March, 
  for 
  they 
  never 
  enter 
  the 
  

   water 
  until 
  they 
  have 
  doffed 
  their 
  down 
  

   and 
  have 
  acquired 
  the 
  adult. 
  coat 
  of 
  close 
  

   scale-like 
  feathers. 
  

  

  After 
  the 
  nesting 
  season 
  is 
  over 
  the 
  

   adults 
  undergo 
  their 
  annual 
  change 
  of 
  

   clothes, 
  and 
  for 
  a 
  time 
  they 
  have 
  a 
  very 
  

   ragged 
  appearance, 
  the 
  old, 
  worn 
  feathers 
  

   coming 
  off 
  in 
  patches 
  like 
  the 
  hair 
  of 
  a 
  

   shedding 
  buffalo. 
  The 
  temporary 
  loss 
  of 
  

   the 
  tail, 
  a 
  luxuriant 
  organ 
  which 
  the 
  

   Johnny 
  penguin 
  can 
  ill 
  afford 
  to 
  be 
  with- 
  

   out, 
  gives 
  them 
  a 
  more 
  dumpy 
  outline 
  

   than 
  ever. 
  

  

  The 
  penguins 
  have 
  a 
  terrible 
  aquatic 
  

   enemy 
  in 
  the 
  sea-leopard, 
  a 
  large, 
  flesh- 
  

   eating 
  seal. 
  From 
  the 
  stomach 
  of 
  a 
  sea- 
  

   leopard 
  I 
  had 
  shot 
  I 
  once 
  took 
  the 
  re- 
  

   mains 
  of 
  four 
  king 
  penguins. 
  On 
  the 
  

   land, 
  however, 
  these 
  birds 
  have 
  no 
  ag- 
  

   gressor 
  save 
  the 
  skua. 
  

  

  POX 
  TERRIER 
  PEAYS 
  PRANKS 
  ON 
  JOHNNY 
  

   PENGUINS 
  

  

  The 
  Johnny 
  penguins 
  showed 
  not 
  the 
  

   slightest 
  fear 
  of 
  a 
  fox 
  terrier 
  belonging 
  

   to 
  the 
  Daisy 
  until 
  the 
  rascally 
  dog 
  ac- 
  

   quired 
  the 
  habit 
  of 
  seizing 
  them 
  by 
  the 
  

   tails 
  and 
  swinging 
  them 
  round 
  and 
  round 
  

   merely 
  for 
  the 
  fun 
  of 
  it. 
  After 
  such 
  

   treatment 
  the 
  poor 
  Johnnies 
  would 
  hud- 
  

   dle 
  back 
  to 
  back 
  in 
  a 
  sort 
  of 
  Macedonian 
  

   phalanx, 
  striking 
  outward 
  with 
  their 
  quick 
  

   wings 
  at 
  whatever 
  point 
  the 
  terrier 
  at- 
  

   tacked 
  them. 
  

  

  The 
  king 
  penguins 
  of 
  South 
  Georgia 
  

   breed 
  on 
  low 
  ground 
  well 
  back 
  from 
  the 
  

   salt 
  water. 
  They 
  build 
  no 
  nests, 
  but 
  carry 
  

   their 
  single 
  egg 
  on 
  top 
  of 
  their 
  feet, 
  cov- 
  

   ering 
  it 
  with 
  a 
  flap 
  of 
  skin 
  on 
  the 
  lower 
  

   belly. 
  If 
  a 
  bird 
  is 
  robbed 
  of 
  its 
  egg, 
  it 
  

   appears 
  quite 
  dumfounded 
  and 
  will 
  per- 
  

   haps 
  attempt 
  to 
  mother 
  a 
  stone. 
  

  

  The 
  breeding 
  season 
  begins 
  later 
  than 
  

   that 
  of 
  the 
  Johnny 
  penguins 
  and 
  contin- 
  

   ues 
  all 
  summer, 
  some 
  birds 
  not 
  laying 
  an 
  

   egg 
  until 
  March. 
  The 
  sexes 
  alternate 
  

   about 
  every 
  24 
  hours 
  in 
  the 
  duties 
  of 
  in- 
  

   cubation. 
  Young 
  king 
  penguins, 
  unlike 
  

   the 
  young 
  Johnnies, 
  retain 
  their 
  thick 
  

   down 
  all 
  through 
  the 
  first 
  winter, 
  acquir- 
  

  

  