Emperor Penguin. (See page 238)
CHAPTER XLV
PENGUINS
(Some Notes by James Murray, Biologist to the Expedition)
Though so much has been written about them, penguins always excite fresh interest in every one who sees them for the first time.
There is endless interest in watching them; the dignified Emperor, dignified in spite of his clumsy waddle, going along with his wife (or wives) by his side, the very picture of a successful, self-satisfied, unsuspicious countryman, and gravely bowing like a Chinaman before a yelping dog, and also the little undignified matter-of-fact Adelie, minding his own business in a most praiseworthy manner. Often they behave with apparent stupidity, but sometimes they show a good deal of intelligence. Their resemblance to human beings is always noticed, partly because they walk erect, but they also have many other human traits. They are the civilised nations of the Antarctic regions, and their civilisation, if much simpler than ours, is in some respects higher and more worthy of the name.
But there is also a good deal of human nature in them. As in the human race, their gathering in colonies does not show any true social instinct; each penguin is in the rookery for his own ends, there is no thought of the general good. You might exterminate an Adelie rookery with the exception of one bird, and he would not mind so long as you left him alone.
Some suggestion of unselfishness does appear in the nesting habits of the Adelie, and like men the Adelies have the unpleasant habit of stealing and the pleasant one of not making eating the prime business in life. Both Emperors and Adelies, when nesting is off their minds, show a legitimate curiosity, and having got into good condition they leave the sea and go off in parties for weeks, apparently to see the country.
We saw the Emperor penguins only as a summer visitor, when having finished nesting and having fed up and become glossy and beautiful, they came up out of the sea, apparently to have a good time before moulting. While the Adelies were nesting the Emperors came in numbers to inspect the camp, the two kinds usually paying no attention to each other unless an Adelie thought an Emperor came too close to her nest, when an odd unequal quarrel followed. Little impudence, pecking and scolding, and being more than able to hold her own with the tongue, but knowing the value of discretion whenever the Emperor raised his flipper.
The Emperors were very inquisitive and would come a long way to see a motor-car or a man, and when out on these excursions the leader kept his party together by a long shrill squawk. Distant parties saluted in this way.
The first party to arrive inspected the boat, and then crossed the lake to the camp, but when they discovered the dogs all other interests were swallowed up. After the discovery crowds of Emperors came every day, and from the manner in which they went straight to the kennels one was tempted to believe that the fame of the dogs had been noised abroad.