Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-06-11

observer declared that these birds completely
covered an area Of not less than thirty acres,
possibly forty. and that the number Of PEN
gums collected together on it was beyond bis
near approach to the truth, for "during the
whole OF the day and the night 3d. 900 or 1000
were continually landing and an equal number
going to the sea- (this ID q characteristic feat
IRE Of fur seal rookery according to Elliott.
They are arranged, when on shore, In az COM
pact manner and in as regular ranks as
regiment Of soldiers, and are Chased
with the greatest order, the young
birds being In one situation, the moulting
birds In another, the sitting hens in q third
and the clean hens In a fourth, &C., and 30
strictly do birds in a similar condition congre-
gate that should bird that is moulting intrude
itself among those which are clean 1t is imme-
diately elected from them. The females hatch
the eggs by keeping them close between their
thighs, and II approached during the time OF In
cubation move away, carrying their eggs with
them At this time the male bird goes to sea
and collects food for the female, which be-
comes very fat. After its young n Matched
both parents 60 to sea and bring home food for
1t, the old birds gradually getting very thin.
They sit quite upright in their roosting places
and walk in the erect position until they arrive
at the beach, when they throw themselves on
their breasts in order to encounter the heavy
sea met with at their landing place."
How THE NAME CAME.
The name Of "rockhopper," which the sailors
have given these birds all over the world, arose
from tho odd sction Of penguin when 1t gets
among loose rocks. II cannot walk then In it's
peculiar slow waddle, but instead leaps or hops
In short jumps along, with outstretched wings
as q balancing rod. When in . grassy place or
among tussocks these little plumeless wings are
used q fore legs for it really crawls, 1t were
on all fours, and moves then so quickly that 1t
may be well mistaken for quadruped.
One species, the jackass penguin "a demersa),
is the vocalist of the family and Capt. FitS Roy,
while inspecting q rookery at Noir Island,
found 'multitudes OF penguins swarming to-
gether in some parts of the island, among the
bushes and tussocks near the shore, having
gone there for the purpose OF moulting and OF
rearing their young. These birds were very
valiant In self-defense and ran open-mouthed
by dozens at any one who invaded their terri
tory, little knowing how soon stick would
scatter them to the ground (these were
jackass penguins. because all the other species
pay no attention to man when he comes among
them. The young were good eating, but the
others proved TO be black and tough when
cooked. The manner in which they feed their
young Ii curious and amusing. The old bird
gets on little eminence and makes q great
noise between quacking and braying), holding
its head up in the air as II it were harsnguing
the rookery, while the young one stands close to
it, but a little lower. The old bird having con-
tinued its clatter for about o minute, puts its
head down and opens its mouth widely. into
which the young one thrusts its head, and then
appears to snck from the throat Of Its mother
for a minute or two; after which the mother re-
pests her clatter and again feeds the young one.
This continues for about ten minutes" The
captain also believes that the birds which are
says that they are certainly unable to seek food
in the water. being bare Of all covering during
the two weeks of shedding.
DARw1N's ExPERIKNcR.
Darwin pleasantly relates his encounter with
one of these birds on the Falkland Islands:
Zone day having placed myself between pen
watching its habits. It was Q brave bird and
till reaching the sea 1t regularly fought aud
drove me backward. Nothing less than heavy
blowswould have stopped it; every inch gained he
firmly kept, standing close before me erect and
determined. When thus opposed, he continually
rolled his head from side to Gide, in q very
odd manner, as If the power Of vision only lay
in the anterior and the basal portion Of the eye;
this bird 10 commonly called the jackass PEN
gum, from its habit while on shore Of throwing
its head backward and making . loud strange
noise, very much like the Drawing Of that ami
NAL; but while at sea and undisturbed its note
is very deep and solemn, and Is often heard in
the night time. In diving its little limp wings
are used as fins, but on land among rocks and
tussocks as front legs.
when at sea and fishing it comes to the
surface for the purpose Of breathing with such
q spring and dives again so instantaneously
that defy any one at first sight to be sure that
1t is not q fish leaping for sport"
AS long "a beasts Of prey and man himself
does not disturb the penguin rookeries of the
antarctic so long will those birds assemble on
those desoiste islands Of that region, but let a
few foxes get q footing near one Of these rock
hopper camps" or towns or let 1t suddenly be
In the path Of commerce, the end Of the life Of
that colony will soon be recorded, for the bird
is simply helpless to save itself from such enc
mics by land and on the land il must 60 every
year at stated intervals Since, however, the
antarctic solitudes are much more dssolate
than are those Of the arctic, it ID safe to say
that the penguin tribe will DO undisturbed and
flourish for an indefinite future.