The Living Animals of the World, Volume II: Birds, Reptiles and Amphibians, Fishes, Jointed Animals, Molluscs, etc.

Penguins feed principally on Crustacea, molluscs (" shell-fish ''), and small fish, varied with a little vegetable matter. Although the legs are very short, penguins yet walk with ease, and can, on occasion, run with considerable speed. It would appear, however, as if the largest of the tribe, the EMPEROR-PENGUIN, had become somewhat too bulky to run; for when speed is necessary it lies down upon the snow and propels itself with its feet, travelling, it is said, in this manner with incredible speed.

Penguins, though confined to the Southern Hemisphere, enjoy a wide range and every variety of climate. They are found on the Antarctic ice, on the shores of South Africa, South America, Australia, New Zealand, and inhabit many islands of the southern seas,

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'ape Town. Photo by Percy Ashenden]

BLACK-FOOTED PENGUINS BATHING.

The name Jackass is bestowed because the noise made by these birds closely resembles the bray of a donkey.

notably the Falklands, Kerguelen, and Tristan d'Acunha. In size penguins vary greatly. The largest is the EMPEROR- PENGUIN of the Antarctic seas; scarcely smaller is the KING- PENGUIN of Kerguelen Island. The emperor-penguin stands some 3J feet high, and may weigh as much as 78 Ibs. The GENTLE PENGUIN, or " Johnny " of the sailors, is next in size, being but little smaller than the king-penguin; this species inhabits Kerguelen Island and the Falklands. The CRESTED PENGUINS, or KOCK-HOPPERS, of which there are several species, are much smaller; they occur in the Falkland Islands, New f/toioly If. P. Dando, F.Z.S.] t's Park. Zealand, and the Antarctic. KING-PENGUIN. The South African form is known This is one of the largest of the Penguins. as the BLACK-FOOTED PENGUIN. Its nearest allies are HUMBOLDT'S PENGUIN of Western South America, and the JACKASS-PENGUIN of the Falklands. The smallest of all is the little BLUE PENGUIN of South Australia and New Zealand, standing only 17 inches high.

THE TUBE-NOSED BIRDS.

UNTIL recently these birds were believed to be closely related to the Gulls, but it is now generally agreed that they are really distant relatives of the Divers and Penguins. The association with the Gulls was pardonable, for they certainly bear a superficial resemblance to them. The birds now under discussion may be readily distinguished from the Gulls by the fact that the nostrils open into a tube on the top of the beak, or a pair of tubes, one on either side hence the name of the group. Like the Gulls, they are sea-birds and web-footed. is laid, which is white, and in someTheir young are downy and for a time helpless. One egg cases spotted with red at the large end. As a rule no nest is made, but the egg laid on the bare ground, in a hole or burrow or in crevices of rocks. The Albatrosses build a nest of earth, tufts of grass, and moss, the whole structure raising the sitting-bird well above the is said by Professorground. The Giant and Fulmar Petrels also build nests. The albatross Moseley to hold the egg in a pouch while sitting, as in the case of the king-penguin. The nature of this pouch has never been described.

Although occurring in the seas of all parts of the world, the Southern Hemisphere must be regarded as their headquarters, since here the greatest number of species are found. All are carnivorous, and with the exception of one small group, the Diving-petrels of the Strait of this group, butMagellan are birds of powerful flight. A large number of species belong to an enumeration of all would be wearisome. A few of the more striking have, therefore, been selected for description.

THE ALBATROSSES.

It was an albatross which brought such woe upon the ancient mariner whose pitiful story is so feelingly told by Coleridge. But the tables are occasionally turned, for men falling overboard in southern seas are liable to be attacked by these powerful giants. The albatross is mostly renowned for its majestic flight. Mr. Froude has given us a wonderful description

Grebes and Divers, Penguins, and Tube^nosed Birds 433

: " Theof this flight, which is quoted with approval by Professor Newton. It runs as follows albatross wheels in circles round and round, and for ever round the ship now far behind, now sweeping past in a long, rapid curve, like a perfect skater on an untouched field of ice. There is no effort; watch as closely as you will, you rarely or never see a stroke of the The flight is generally near the water, often close to it. You lose sight ofmighty pinion. the bird as he disappears in the hollow between the waves, and catch him again as he rise? over the crest; but how he rises and whence comes the propelling force is to the eye inexplicable: he alters merely the angle at which the wings are inclined; usually they are parallel to the water and horizontal; but when he turns to ascend or makes a change in his direction, the wings then point at an angle, one to the sky, the other to the water."

Professor Hutton, speaking with similar enthusiasm of the wonderful flight, gives us, however, another side to the picture. " Suddenly," he says, " he sees something floating on the is from the noble bird but a momentwater, and prepares to alight; but how changed he now ! He raises his wings, his head goes back, and his back goesbefore, all grace and symmetry full extent; and with a hoarsein; down drop two enormous webbed feet, straddled out to their ' ' croak, between the cry of a raven and that of a sheep, he falls souse into the water. Here he is at home again, breasting the waves like a cork. Presently he stretches out his neck, and with great exertion of his wings runs along the top of the water for seventy or eighty yards, until, at last, having got sufficient impetus, he tucks up his leg^, and is once more fairly launched in the air." For the wonderful photographs of the albatross at home we are indebted to the Hon. Walter

By permission of the Hon. Walter Rothschild] _Tring.

NESTING ALBATKOSSES ON LAYSAN ISLAND.

Tin's colony was of enormous size, and included thousands of birds. 55

of the World434 The Living Animals

Rothschild. They are from his book on the avifauna of Laysan Island, in the North Pacific. Unfortunately for the albatrosses and other birds, traders have been attracted to Laysan for the sake of the guano deposits. The birds were strictly protected during the occupation of Mr. Preece, but when he left they had no friend to shield them, and their eggs were taken in cart-loads, as the accompanying photograph shows. When an albatross makes love, Professor Moseley tells us, he stands " by the female on the nest, raises his wings, spreads his tail and elevates it, throws up his head with the bill in the air, or stretches it straight out forwards as far as he can, and then utters a curious cry.... Whilst uttering the cry the bird sways his neck up and down. The female responds with a similar note, and they bring the tips of their bills lovingly together. This sort of thing goes on for half an hour or so at a time."

There are several different kinds of albatross. The largest measures over 11 feet across the outstretched wings. They are inhabitants of the southern seas. After the Albatrosses, the largest bird of the Photo by D. Le Souef] [Melbourne. group is the GIANT PETREL. The sailors call WHITE-CAPPED ALBATROSS ON EGG. of egg the albatross as beingit " Break-bones," " Nelly," or " Stinker." In habits Professor Moseley describesheld in athesoit of pouch. it differs much from its aristocratic relative the albatross, haunting the coasts in search of dead seals and whales, and the bodies of other birds. Professor Moseley aptly likens it to the vulture: " It soars all day along the coast on the look-out for food. No sooner is an animal killed than numbers appear as if by magic, and the birds are evidently well acquainted with the usual proceedings of sealers, who kill the sea-elephant, take off the skin and blubber, and leave the carcase. The birds gorge themselves with food, just like the vultures, and are then unable to fly. I came across half a dozen at Christmas Harbour in this condition. We landed just opposite them; they began to run to get out of the way. The Ey permission of the Hon. Walter Rothschild] [Trina. men chasedi j j_ithem; they ran CARTING ALBATROSS EGGS ON THE ISLAND OP LAYSAN. off, spreading their wings, but

At one time these birds were protected; as this photograpn testifies, this is no longer the case. unable to rise Some StrUi

Grebes and Divers, Penguins, and Tube^nosed Birds 435 into the water and swam away, but two went running on, gradually disgorging their food, in the utmost hurry, until they were able to rise, when they made off to sea."

The FULMAR PETREL is a British bird. On St. Kilda, Professor Newton tells us, from 18,000 to 20,000 young are killed in one week in August, the only time when, by the custom of the community, they are allowed to be taken. These, after the oil is extracted, serve the islanders for winter food.

The STORM-PETREL is a small bird which breeds abundantly in St. Kilda and the Orkneys, and so fearless that it will allow itself to be taken from the nest by hand. Immediately this is done, the bird vomits a quantity of pure oil from its mouth. The wild-fowlers make use of this habit, capturing the bird, collecting the oil, and setting the prisoner free again. A story is related of a storm-petrel which was kept in a cage for three weeks. It was fed by smearing its breast with oil, which the bird swallowed by drawing the feathers separately through its beak. These birds are popularly supposed to be seen only before stormy weather, and therefore are not welcomed by sailors, who call them " Devil's Birds " and

:" Witches." This bird seems to commend itself to some palates; thus the late Mr. Seebohm says " Cooked on toast, like snipe, we found them delicious eating, very rich, but not at all fishy."

We cannot refrain from a brief mention of the remarkable little DIVING-PETREL remarkable because of its unlikeness to all the other Petrels and its strong resemblance to the Auks. But its tubular nostrils and certain anatomical characters proclaim its true affinities. " This its allies,is a petrel," says Professor Moseley, " that has given up the active aerial habits of and has taken to diving, and has become specially modified by natural selection to suit it for this changed habit, though still a petrel in essential structure." On two occasions Professor Moseley met with them in the Strait of Magellan, and describes the water as being covered with these birds in flocks extending over acres, which were made black with them.

CHAPTER VII.

STORKS, HERONS, AND PELICAN TRIBE.

HE Storks, Herons, and Pelican Tribe form a group of closely allied but externally very unlike birds, distantly related to the Petrels on the one hand, and the Cranes andT Hawk Tribe on the other.