Spheniscus demersus, the Cape Penguin or Jackass, ranging from western South America to South Africa, has bluish-black upper parts and throat, and white lower surface crossed by a blackish band–or two in the variety magellanicus. The note is a harsh bray; the eggs are either deposited in burrows–presumably dug by the parent itself–or, as on rocky islands near the Cape, in nests of pebbles and rubbish, commonly placed under large stones.[[58]] S. (Eudyptula) minor is a bluer species with white throat, that part being dark coloured in the whole Family except here and in Eudyptes antarcticus; it occupies the south of Australia and the New Zealand area. The note is a loud croak or growl, and the oval but somewhat pointed eggs are laid on a bed of leaves and grass in an excavation in the soil or a crevice among rocks.[[59]] S. mendiculus, the only tropical form, occurs in the Galápagos.
The genus Eudyptes contains the crested "Maccaroni" Penguins or Rock-hoppers, of which E. chrysocome, figured below, extends southwards and eastwards from the Falklands through the Indian Ocean and Antarctic seas to the coasts of New Zealand and the neighbouring islands. It is bluish-black with white breast and belly, and a fine orange crest on each side of the crown, from which a broad golden streak passes over the eye to the base of the maxilla.
Fig. 17.–Rock-hoppers. Endyptes chrysocome. (From Thomson's Atlantic.)
E. chrysolophus, a rarer bird of somewhat similar range, has the forehead yellow instead of black. E. chrysocome nidificates on elevated slopes, usually near fresh water, in which it delights to bathe, the nest being either a mere depression in the bare earth or a slight structure of plant-stems and leaves. This is at times perfectly exposed, but is not unfrequently among boulders or under the shade of tussocks of grass as high as a man's head, the filthy breeding-places being intersected by beaten pathways formed by the constant passage of troops to and from the sea. The parent is said to sit almost perpendicularly, with the eggs closely applied to a naked space in the centre of the abdomen, but it should be mentioned that some observers state that the breast is lowered until it nearly touches the ground, though there seems to be little doubt that the position is at least half upright in the case of Penguins generally. Like other species, Rock-hoppers swim chiefly below the surface of the sea, coming into view only from time to time to breathe; but they have a most curious habit of stretching out the legs below the tail, laying their wings flat to their sides, arching their necks forward, and then making a sudden spring clear out of the waves. An occasional croak is heard while the birds are in the water, but on land the barking noise is perfectly deafening, nor do the severe bites with which the intruder is greeted make matters more tolerable.[[60]] Among other species recognised by different writers are E. antarcticus of the Falklands, South Orkneys, South Shetlands, and New Georgia; E. antipodum of New Zealand and Campbell Island, with an almost yellow head; E. atratus of the Snares Islands, entirely of a blackish hue, and possibly a melanistic form; E. schlegeli of Macquarie Island, E. vittatus and E. pachyrhynchus of New Zealand, E. sclateri of the Auckland Islands, and E. serresianus of Tierra del Fuego.
Palaeeudyptes antarcticus[[61]] is a fossil form nearly 7 feet high, from the Eocene of New Zealand, while Señores Moreno and Mercerat record Paraptenodytes antarcticus, Palaeospheniscus patagonicus, P. menzbieri, and P. bergii from the Miocene of Patagonia.[[62]]
Order IV. PROCELLARIIFORMES.
The Procellariiformes, or Petrels, are archaic ocean forms with great powers of flight, often placed near the Laridae on account of a supposed external resemblance, though the structure of the internal parts shews this to be misleading, and indicates rather a position between the Sphenisciformes and Ciconiiformes.
The single Sub-Order Tubinares, with the Family Procellariidae, may be subdivided into the Sub-families: (1) Diomedeinae, or Albatroses; (2) Oceanitinae and (3) Procellariinae, or Fulmars, Shearwaters, and Petrels proper; and (4) Pelecanoïdinae, or Diving Petrels.[[63]]
Fam. Procellariidae.–In the larger species the bill is long, stout, and frequently compressed, with a strong sharp hook overhanging the truncated mandible; its size gradually diminishing throughout the Sub-Families in very much the above order. The horny sheath is separated by grooves into more or less distinct plates, and the mandible may also be grooved, as in Phoebetria; while Prion is especially remarkable for the curious fringe of transverse lamellae on the margins of the broad maxilla, which recall those of the Duck tribe, traces of the same being exhibited by Ossifraga, Fulmarus, Daption, and Halobaena. The most striking peculiarity, however, is the tubular structure of the impervious nostrils, which trenchantly divides the Petrels from all other Birds; these tubes are far apart in the Diomedeinae, and lie laterally towards the back of the culmen; in the remaining groups they are fused together and are situated dorsally. In the Oceanitinae the single aperture looks forwards and upwards, but in the Procellariinae the septum is produced to the front, showing clearly the double nature of the formation; in Pelecanoides again the distinct openings are almost vertical, an arrangement as well adapted to the diving habits as are the long sternum and the compressed wing-bones. The rows of retroverted spines found on the palatal membrane in most of the family no doubt aid in the retention of slippery prey, as do the lamellae in Prion. The lower portion of the tibia is bare; the metatarsus varies in length and stoutness according to the species, though often decidedly slender, and is much compressed in Puffinus and its nearest allies. It is usually covered with hexagonal scales, but Oceanites and Cymodroma show but one long anterior scute (ocrea), while Garrodia and Pelagodroma have a series of oblique plates instead. The hallux is absent in Pelecanoides, and consists of only one phalanx elsewhere, being quite rudimentary in the Diomedeinae; it is slightly above the level of the anterior toes, which are connected by large webs. The claws are, as a rule, sharp, curved, and compressed, but are blunt and much flattened in Pelagodroma, Pealea, and Cymodroma, showing a similar tendency in others of the Oceanitinae. The wings are normally long, and are very narrow and pointed in the Diomedeinae, where the expanse is vast, but in Pelecanoides they are decidedly short: the primaries are eleven in number; the secondaries are ten or less in the Oceanitinae, thirteen of more in the remaining forms, and amount to more than thirty in some of the Diomedeinae. The tail is rarely long, as in Phoebetria, and may be even, rounded, graduated, or emarginated; the above species, Bulweria, and some forms of Puffinus have it wedge-shaped, while a distinct fork occurs in Oceanodroma. Sixteen rectrices are found in Ossifraga, fourteen in Fulmarus, Priocella, and Daption, twelve elsewhere. The small tongue is somewhat triangular, being rather larger in Ossifraga and Prion; the syrinx is tracheo-bronchial; and an after-shaft is present, though in some cases rudimentary.