'MU'RPIIV ; 
PKXGinNS OI' SOrTH (;iv()K(;iA. 
J 2 
.•) 
in the colors of soft ])arts acconi])aiiN- tlie ])ostmi])tial molt. With the 
change to the new ])lnniage the birds ac(|iiire orange feet, and tlie inner 
surface of the wings, salmon ])ink in color during tlie breeding .season, 
now becomes white or nearh' so. 
P]'oosa'/is papua has not in any degree the fearle.ss and courageous 
disposition of its Antarctic congener, Pyooscclis adclicc. On tlie contrary, 
bands of johnnies along the beaches are prone to take alarm if a man 
ajipears suddenly among them. The iiio.st sncce.ssfiil conr.se of action is to 
approach them .slowly, halting at a di.screet di.stance and .so inviting the 
])engnins to take the initiative. They have a large bniii]) of cnriosit\' 
and will pre.sentl_\' push the acciiiaintance, their familiarity increa.sing in 
direct proportion to the cpiietne.ss and .seeming indifference of the 
ob.server. A de.scription taken from my notes of December 23, 1912, is 
characteri.stic. On the afternoon of this day I walked to a glacial pond 
on the far side of which stood a groiiji of johnny jiengnins. As soon as 
they saw me one of their lumiber swam acro.ss under water and walked 
toward me. I remained motionless until it came ii]) quite to my feet and 
.stood there. When I moved quietl>’ it followed, and when I .stopped it 
did likewi.se. Then, one b\' one it w'as joined by the other ]iengnins from 
acro.ss the pond. It was whimsical to see this troop of mimicking small 
brothers with no other wi.sh than to keep me company". I finally broke 
the spell by .stooping to pat one on the head, when they all wiggled their 
tails, hurried back into the pond, and swam acro.ss like ])orpoi.ses. 
On March 12 I rowed ashore during a brisk snowstorm and found a 
whole arniN' of ])engnins near the Po.s.se.ssion Ba>' rookery before 
mentioned. The}' were .standing b\' hundreds in a long donl:)le row along 
the iDeach. The.se rows marched forward to meet and snrronnd me, and 
their numbers were continnallv augmented bv new arrivals whicli ke])t 
])0])i)ing out of the snrf, and came running iq) the shingle as if much 
astonished to find me there. 
Tlie amusing, im'opic curiosit}’ of the johnn\' ])cngnins is illustrated 
bv the furtive way in which they ins])ect an\- striking or unfamiliar 
object. The}' ])ick up odd bits of kelp, bleached bones and other 
rubbish, carr\ ing them for short distances, and I ha\'c .seen a band of 
them walking around and around the fresh carca.ss of a .seal, ]>ecking at 
it with their bills. 
