120 
BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEU]\I. 
SCIENCE BULLETIN 2 . 5 - 
the oldest of which seemed to be half-grown.* vSome of the nests held 
one egg and one chick, and among the further ad\mnced families there 
was a great difference in the size of the two chicks due to the discre]ianc}' 
in their dates of hatching, which sometimes amonnted to four days. Isot 
infrequently the senior chick was fnlly twice as large as its nest-mate. 
Nests which contained nothing but one yoimg.ster were also ver}' 
nnmerons ; doubtless the sknas, which were ever eyeing the rookery from 
])oints of vantage round about, had accounted for the other. 
The N'oungsters are fed from the cro])s of the old birds and grow 
very rajffdly, early development .showing es])ecialh' in the alDdominal part 
of the bod\’. Whthin three or four days of hatching, the chicks become 
veritabh' anchored in the ne.st by the weight of their coiqmlent bellies 
which .seem out of all ])roportion to the puny neck and wings, and the 
soft, insufficient legs. Within the.se di.stended .stomachs I found dis- 
integrated cru-staceans, small cephalopod beaks, and pebbles. The only 
identifiable food material found in the alimentar>- tract of adults was 
exanqffes of the ])elagic, mysidaceous .shrimp, Antarctomysis maxima. 
On December 29 many of the young penguins were half-grown, 
although a good proportion of nests .still contained eggs. By January 
10 only one nest in about thirt}' held eggs, and on January 24 no eggs 
remained excepting a very few addled sets .still covered by the jiatient 
parents. 
By the middle of January the young were mo.sth' two-thirds grown, 
and their ince.ssant chattering could be heard a long way from the 
rookeries. The older young.sters walked al^out in an uncertain, wobbly 
fa.shion, tagging after their fathers and mothers and trumpeting nervou.sly 
when left too far behind. When I walked among the nests, all but the 
younge.st chicks left them and herded together. The brooding adults, 
too, rushed awa>', but a few squeaks from the alDandoned little ones 
usually brought them back, .scamiiering hither and thither and swinging 
their wings frantically. If the young.sters hapiiened to be old enough to 
walk, the ])arents coaxed them along l)y giving .small ta.stes of food, with 
promi.ses of more, but iu hy.sterical fa.shion they would .soon forget to 
wait for their feelffe babies, and would have to l)e called l^ack repeatedh-. 
The >-oung.sters, even when ver>- large, are fond of snuggling as closely 
as ]io.s.sible again.st their ])arents. 
When caught in the hand, the fledglings .strike with their harmle.ss 
little wings and attempt to bite, at the .same time prote.sting with high- 
* Von den .Steinen ob.served the fir.st younjj on Xov. 2S. 
