THE PENGUINS.
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.