332 
VERTEBRATA. 
socks, or on ilio side of a grassy cHfF, :t moved so very quickly tliat it iniglit readily have been 
mistaken for a quadruped. When at sea, and fishing, it comes to the surface, for the purpose of 
breathing, with such a spring, and dives again so instantaneously, that I defy any one at first 
sight to be sure that it is not a fish leaping for sport." 
The following interesting account, probably referring to this species, is furnished by Captain 
Fitzroy. He is speaking of Noir Island : "Multitudes of Penguins were swarming together in 
some parts of the island, among the bushes and tussocks near the shore, having gone there for the 
purpose of moulting and rearing their young. They were very valiant in self-defense, and ran 
open-mouthed, by dozens, at any one who invaded their territory, little knowing how soon a stick 
would scatter them on the ground. The young were good eating, but the others proved to be 
black and tough when cooked. The manner in which they feed their young is curious and rather 
amusing. The old bird gets on a little eminence and makes a great noise, between quacking and 
braying, holding its head up in the air, as if it were haranguing the penguinnery, while the young 
one stands close to it, but a little lower. The old bird, having continued its clatter for about a 
minute, puts its head down and opens its mouth widely, into which the young one thrusts its 
head, and then appears to suck from the throat of its mother for a minute or two, after which the 
clatter is repeated, and the young one is again fed ; this continues for about ten minutes. I ob- 
served some which were moulting make the same noise, and then apparently swallow what they 
thus supplied themselves with ; so in this way, I suppose, they are furnished with subsistence 
during the time they cannot seek it in the water." 
The King Penguin or Patagonian Penguiw, A. PatacJionica, is over three feet long; slaty- 
black above, with white, satin-like feathers 
on the breast. It appears to be very abund- 
ant on the Straits of Magellan, the coasts of 
Patagonia, Terra del Fuego, Falkland Isl- 
ands, &c. Sir John Narborough says that 
their erect attitude and bluish-black backs, 
contrasted with their white bellies, might 
cause them to be taken at a distance for 
young children with white bibs. The towns, 
camps, and rookeries, as they have been 
called, of these birds, have proved an ample 
theme for most of the southern voyagers. 
Those at the Falkland Islands have at- 
tracted particular attention. Some of these 
assemblies are described as giving a dreary, 
not to say awful impression of the desola- 
tion of the place, and the utter absence of 
the human race. In some of the towns, it 
is stated, there was a general stillness, and 
when the intruders walked among the fea- 
thered population, to provide themselves 
with eggs, they were regarded with side- 
long glances, but they seemed to carry 
no terror with them. In many places the 
shores are covered with these birds, and three hundred have been taken within an hour ; for 
they generally make no effort to escape, but stand quietly by, while their companions are knocked 
down with sticks till it comes to their turn. Cook, speaking of two islands in the high latitudes 
of the south, describes the cold as intense ; the islands were covered with hoar-frost and snow, 
neither trees nor shrubs appeared, and he saw no living creature except the shags and penguins, 
the last being so numerous that they seemed to encrust the rock. 
Some describe the rookeries as designed with the utmost order and regularity, thougli they are 
the resort of several different species. A regular camp, often covering three or four acres, is laid 
THE KING PENGUIN. 
