[Illustration: PENGUIN.]
The Penguins belong exclusively to cold countries. They live almost
entirely in the water, and although they seldom come ashore, except to
build their nests and lay their eggs, or when driven by squalls or
storms from their favorite element, they do not often swim far from the
land. On the shore they are compelled to sit erect, as their feet are
placed at the extremity of the body—an arrangement which renders them
awkward and heavy when they try to sit or walk. They carry the head very
high and the neck stretched out, while their short winglets are held out
like two short arms. When they sit perched in flocks on some lofty
projecting rock they might be mistaken at a distance for a line of
soldiers.
At certain periods of the year the Penguins assemble on the beach as if
they had planned to meet for deliberation. These assemblies last for a
day or two, and are conducted with an obvious degree of solemnity. When
the meeting results in a decision, they proceed to work with great
activity.
Upon a ledge of rock, sufficiently level and of the necessary size, they
trace a square with one of its sides parallel and overlooking the edge
of the water, which is left open for the egress of the colony. Then with
their beaks they proceed to collect all the stones in the neighborhood,
which they heap up outside the lines marked out, to serve them as a wall
to shelter them from the prevailing winds. During the night these
openings are guarded by sentinels.
They afterwards divide the enclosure into smaller squares, each large
enough to receive a certain number of nests, with a passage between each
square. No architect could arrange the plan in a more regular manner.
What is most singular is that the Albatross, a Bird adapted for flight,
associates at this period with these half Fish, half Birds, the
Penguins; so that the nest of an Albatross may be seen next the nest of
a Penguin, and the whole colony, so differently constituted, appear to
live on the best terms of intimacy. Each keeps to its own nest, and if
by chance there is a complaint, it is that some Penguin has robbed the
nest of his neighbor, the Albatross.
Other Sea-birds come to partake of the hospitality of the little
republic. With the permission of the masters of the society, they build
their nests in the vacancies that occur in the squares.
The Penguin lays but one egg, which she only leaves for a few moments
until hatched, the mate taking her place while she seeks her food. The
Penguins are so numerous in the Antarctic seas, that 100,000 eggs have
been collected by the crew of one vessel.
The King Penguin has been described by most Naturalists as a distinct
species. Of this there is little doubt. They abound in the southern
seas. Their short stunted wings, which make them quite incapable of
flying, are reduced to a flat and very short stump, totally destitute of
feathers, being covered with a soft down, having something of the
appearance of hair, which might be taken for scales. Like all the
Penguins, this Bird is an excellent swimmer and diver, and its coating
of down is so dense that it even resist a bullet; it is consequently
difficult to shoot.
Their nests are a very simple construction, for they content themselves
with a hole in the sand deep enough to contain two eggs, but more often
one.
In spite of the limited number of eggs, the quantity of these Birds
found in the south of Patagonia is something marvellous. When sailors
land in these high latitudes they take or kill as many as they choose.
Sir John Narborough says, speaking of those at the Falkland Islands,
that “when the sailors walked among the feathered population to provide
themselves with eggs, they were regarded with sidelong glances.” In many
places the shores were covered with these Birds, and 300 have been taken
within an hour; for generally they make no effort to escape, but stand
quietly by while their companions are being knocked down with sticks.
In another islet, in the Straits of Magellan, Captain Drake’s crew
killed more than 3,000 in one day. These facts are not exaggerated. This
island, when visited by these navigators, probably had never been
pressed previously by a human foot, and the Birds had succeeded each
other from generation to generation in incalculable numbers, hitherto
free from molestation.
The Penguins have no fear of man. Mr. Darwin pleasantly relates an
encounter that he had with one of these Birds on the Falkland Islands.
“One day,” he says, “having placed myself between a Penguin and the
water, I was much amused by the action of the Bird. It was a brave Bird,
and, till reaching the sea, it regularly fought and drove me backwards.
Nothing less than heavy blows would have stopped him. Every inch gained
he kept firmly, standing close before me firm, erect and determined, all
the time rolling his head from side to side in a very odd manner.”
There are many species of Penguins, the handsomest probably being the
Crested Penguin, which is a native of Patagonia, and has a very
conspicuous appearance. These Birds are called by sailors, regardless of
species, Jackass Penguins, from their habit, when on shore, of throwing
their head backwards, and of making a strange loud noise very like the
braying of a Donkey.
This family all defend themselves vigorously with their beaks when an
attempt is made to lay hands on them; and when pursued, they will
pretend to retreat, and return immediately, throwing themselves upon
their assailant. “At other times they will look at you askance,” says
Pernetty, “the head inclined first on one side, then on the other, as if
they were mocking you.” They hold themselves upright on their feet, the
body erect in a perpendicular line with the head. Navigators passing
these islands of the southern seas might suppose that they were densely
inhabited, for the loud roaring voices of these Birds produce a noise
equal to that of a great crowd. The flesh is most unpalatable, but it is
frequently the only resource of ship’s crews who find themselves short
of provisions in these inhospitable regions. However, their eggs have
the redeeming quality of being excellent.