174 Proceedings of Royal Society of Edinburgh, [sess., 
skin obtained here, and brought home in good condition by Captain 
Fairweather and Mr Bruce of the s.s. “ Balsena,” proves to be an 
Emperor penguin, A]ptenodytes forsteri, G. B.. Gray, of great size 
and beautiful plumage. 
The capture of this bird — which was taken on board alive — is 
vividly described by Mr Bruce. Five men attempted to hold it 
down on the ice, but were quite incapable of doing so, and got 
thrown about like so many ninepins. Eventually they got two 
leather belts strapped round him, but the bird burst those by merely 
expanding his chest. A stout rope was then fastened round him, 
his legs, flippers, and neck being all tied together. In spite of this 
he again got loose while in the small boat. On being taken 
on board, he nearly stunned the ship’s dog by a blow with his 
flipper. 
This skin measured 4 feet 10 inches from the tip of the beak to 
the extremity of the tail, and the bird itself weighed 74 lb. A 
specimen brought on board the “ Active ” weighed 60 lb., and 
measured 45 inches in vertical height, as it would have stood in the 
erect position ; its greatest circumference was 37|- inches, and the 
length from tip to tip of the flippers 36 J inches. Very large penguins 
were seen in the wmter and on the ice in great numbers by Captain 
Larsen of the s.s. “ Jasen,” in lat. 64°, and between the meridians 
of 47° and 49° W. The stomach of one of the large penguins 
contained the following heterogeneous mixture : several beaks of a 
very large cuttle-fish, a number of large schizopodous Crustacea, some 
fish-bones, and a large quantity of angular pebbles. 
The figure of this bird in the Voyage of the “Erebus” and 
“ Terror ” is again excellent in regard to colour, but inaccurate in 
shape. 
No specimen of the King penguin, Agtenodytes pennantii, G. E. 
Gray, was brought home, but I am not able to say whether or not 
the whole of the large individuals seen were really Emperors. 
Of the Einged penguin, Pygoscelis antarctica, Forst., we on 
board the “ Active ” only saw a single specimen, which we obtained 
in lat. 64° 12' S., long. 55° 40' W., off Seymour Island j but several 
others were seen by the officers of the “ Balsena ” on first making 
the ice. 
A sailor on board the “ Active ” describes another Einged variety, 
