minus quili- a low leathers. II the 

 true mate is very lute, and the new 

 wile tirmh cslablished. il m;i\ not be 



possible i" cvfci bear. However, the 



1 : 1 1 o comer is no! usually long in liml 

 LUG in unattached m. lie instead. Mom 



penguins ia\ iwo eggs, though often 



onK oik' is reared. Some lay one onl\. 

 some three, anil a very lew four or 

 mote Usually hold parents incubate 

 the eggs ami tend Ihe chicks in lurn. 

 ihe other hud heing at sea fishing. 

 Recognition ceremonies arc ivpealed 

 81 each change of shift . Chicks ami 

 parents recognise each other by 

 SOUfld onk, in possibly In sound ami 

 smell, hul nol by sight: si^ht Seems 

 specially adapted fbl distance vision. 



The aiitaictie suiiuner is \ c i > shott 

 and loi the larger penguins it is a 

 problem to eel tl to chicks launched 

 in time to lake advantage of the 

 seasonal time of food bounty The 

 iwo large varieties. Emperors and 

 Kings, lav only a single egg. Neither 

 builds a nest hut lays direetlv onto 

 the ground or the sc.i-icc. It is imme- 

 di.iicK liatisfeiied lo the feel of the 

 male where il is enloldiil ami kept 

 warm and safe in a pouch of downy 

 skin, hi the case of the Emperot, 

 the male docs all ihe ineiihalmu.. 

 which takes about nine weeks The 

 egg is hud early in winter and when 

 bom the chick is fattened up \ci\ 

 r.ipidK, iis growth hcing accelerated 

 so that it can he launched in mid- 

 summer. This means that with the 

 pre nupiiuJ period of r'rvc weeks and 

 journeys of at least a week before 

 and afterwards lo the open-sea feed- 

 ing grounds, hundreds of nnles away, 

 the male bird fast.s fot almost five 

 months, through Ihe desperate cold of 

 an antarctic winter. During this 

 time he drops in weight from SB to 

 45 pounds. Ihe female, having laid 

 her egg, goes off to sea to recover and 

 giun weight, coming hack with an 



enoiinmis load ol Itsh pisl when |(y 



thick is due io he hatched, it si,.- 



late, the male can cans on I,,- , : ., 

 seeiele in his throat a kind of milk- 

 mucous Which Will keep ihe clua 

 ah\e until the lish arrive^ When the 

 hen ai lives, the m.ik g0l , ol! n, f ; „. 

 ten up. After launching Hie chick the 

 parent birds latlen up again, then 

 siaive tot a second period dining i M . 

 annual moult, then latlen up ag.m. 

 for the next breeding season 



Ihe King, also ., large hud ir 

 ins. high | i.ikcs 7! weeks to menhir 

 its ecu Ihe in. ile m.itk iiKtihaliuf] 

 hul both take turns. Irausfei ring tfc 

 egg Irom the feet ol ,ine to the few 

 ol the mher \ V ,lh their beaks Jhll I 

 p(jSSib}C lor Kings breed in the sale 

 anlaii Ik islands, where Ihe sea is tin 

 so inaccessible. Ihe King has a di(- 

 lercnl arraitgerni-nt to heal ihe season 

 she lavs in suuunei and the chick, 

 are kept alive bul almost slarum.' 

 during ihe winn i . 'hen mv.'.vth heme 

 -.lowed down so that Ihev can k 

 launched Hi spring, Purine this leu 

 penod both parents are ,,v...i\ tishne- 

 and the chicks huddle together Id 

 enoim.uis rookeries keeping Bad 

 other warm. The parents reiurn .about 

 every three weeks, and Clam lite 

 chick as lull as it will go before leav- 

 ing it again t his slow devclopmi-rr 

 means that the breeding season takes 

 annul nine moulds, and therelm. 

 Kings can only breed twice in three 

 years, breeding in rotation, early in 

 the season, late, and nol at all. 



For the Allelic penguin the season 



begins around mid-Ociohei , the binds 



walking 20(1 or J0Q nitlcs across I hi 

 sea-ice to their nesting site. I he fll 1 1 

 return lirst, in long straggling lute. 

 Ol 100 or so, and are soon tolJouw 

 bv ihe leniules. Great recognition 

 ceremonies and nest building aciivi 

 lies take place, even Ihoujdi 'he Mil 

 is only a pile or stones In Adclie- 



Vic. Nal Vol 8S 



