FLIGHTLESS BIRDS. ey 
I now turn to the second of my three groups of flightless 
birds, those, namely, in which the anterior limbs, though 
perfectly useless for the purpose of flight, are, nevertheless, 
functionally active, having been developed in a special 
direction for progression under water. This group is 
practically made up of the Spheniscide or Penguins, a 
very interesting family, but one which the ornithologist of 
northern climes has, unfortunately, no opportunity of 
studying in the wild state, as all the species, of which 
there are about a dozen, distributed amongst three or four 
genera, are confined to the Southern Ocean, not a single 
species being found north of the equator. Penguins have 
their bodies entirely covered with short, scale-like feathers, 
and there is an entire absence of remiges in the wings. 
If we look at the uncouth, clumsy figure of the Penguin 
on land, we should be apt to conclude that we had a very 
degenerate creature before us. But in reality the bird is a 
beautiful example of adaptation to special conditions, and 
is as well fitted for progression in its chosen medium, the 
water, as any flying bird is for progression in 7¢s medium, 
the air. It is essentially an inhabitant of the ocean, and 
comes to land only for the purpose of rearing its young, 
which it does in large colonies, when its helpless condition 
causes it to incur much danger from that most destructive 
of all animals—Man. The wing of the Penguin has been 
converted into a veritable paddle so perfectly adapted to 
progression under water, that when the bird is diving it 
makes use of its paddle-ike wings only, the legs being 
stretched out behind as in the case of ordinary birds when 
flying, so that the mode of progression of this bird may be 
truly described as a sub-aqueous flight, and all observers 
testify to the grace and ease of its movements when so 
engaged. The wing is much compressed and, when in use, 
it is carried forwards so that its sharp anterior edge offers the 
