THE GEEAT PENGUIN. 
297 
Plate XX. fig. 3; was first discovered during one of Captain 
CooFs voyages. Captain Sir James Clarke Ross thus alludes 
to it in the ^Narrative of the Yoyage of H.M.SS. Erebus and 
Terror^"^ (January 11^ 1842) : — During the last few days 
we saw many of the great penguins^ and several of them were 
caught and brought on board alive; indeed it was a very 
difficult matter to kill them^ and a most cruel operation^ 
until we resorted to hydrocyanic acid^ of which a table- 
spoonful effectually accomplished the purpose in less than a 
minute. These enormous birds varied in weight from sixty 
to seventy-five pounds. The largest was killed by the 
Terror's people^ and weighed seventy-eight pounds. They 
are remarkably stupid^ and allow you to approach them so 
near as to strike them on the head with a bludgeon ; and 
sometimes^ if knocked off the ice into the water^ they will 
almost immediately leap upon it again as if to attack you^ 
but without the smallest means either of offence or de- 
fence. ... Its principal food consists of various species of 
cancri and other crustaceous animals; and in its stomach 
we frequently found from two to ten pounds' weight of 
pebbles, consisting of granite, quartz, and trappean rocks.'' 
Mr. M'Cormick says that, as he had no opportunity of 
* Vol. ii. pp. 158, 159. 
