murphy: penguins of south GEORGIA. 121 
pitched voices. After a few nicmients. however, they become alxsurdly 
tame and confident, and enjov having their ])hishhke backs .stroked. 
B\- the end of Jannary all bnt a ver\' few of the young jjenguins, 
still clad in the softest of gra\- and white '• fur," had ])ermanentl\' 
deserted the nests and had congregated b\- themselves, but alwaN-s under 
the gtiard of adult nurses. In fine weather they might be seen sunning 
them.selves on the snowbanks, and at other times crouching from the 
wind in sheltered hollows. .Some of them were as large as the adults, 
but they were still de]ieudent for their food, and they had not \-et been 
to the seashore. I often .saw them pleading to be fed when the old birds 
e\'idently did not wish to gratify them. Such begging youngsters ran 
about after the adults, following every dodge and turn, continuallv 
bumping into them and stepping on their tails until the harassed adults 
gave up in despair. The \oung ones would then press closely against the 
provider, open their little bills ex]iectantl\-, and lose nothing of the 
regurgitated meal. 
Young penguins do not go into the .sea until they have lo.st com- 
pletely their coat of down. In this respect they differ from all other 
aquatic birds, and since the molt of the down is so important an event in 
the johnny penguin's economy, the plumage sequence should be treated of 
in connection with growth. On emerging from the shell the \-oung 
johnnies are clad in a nearly uniform covering of straight filaments, 
whitish or light gray except on the top of the head, where they are of 
a dark slate color. These natal filaments are attached to the tips of the 
jtivenal down feathers, which are highly complex and den.se, and which 
s])rout within a few days after hatching, clothing the nestling in dark 
gray and white, on the dorsal and ventral surfaces respectively. The 
wings are included in this \-estnient of woolly down. Traces of the 
frail natal down cling to the new coat for some time, but eventuallv dis- 
a]i]iear through wear. The egg tooth adheres to the young ])enguin's 
bill until the bird is nearl\- full>- grown. 
About the first of February most of the young begin molting the 
Juvenal down, thus exposing the adult plumage feathers which have 
grown out beneath. The appearance of the white head-sjjots is the 
signal of the coming change. The down is shed in sheets and patches ; 
the process resembles the peeling of the velvet from a deer's horn. B>- 
the middle of February, or toward the clo.se of the molting period, cling- 
ing tufts, collars, or top-nots of down give the otherwise smooth young 
penguins the appearance of clowns and ])ierrots. The last of the down 
