Arizona republican., 1894-11-09
SWIMS FAST UNDER WATER.
The Clumsy Penguin Makes as Good Time
 as a Bird in the Air,


 Naval architects are credited with saying that highest speed in navigation could be obtained by submarine boats. The principle is illustrated in the div ing birds, which are capable of shoot ing through the water with amazing velocity. While these birds live by catching fish in deep water far be- low the surface they present many differences in outer appearance. In the collection at the London geological gardens are black-footed penguins, guillemotes, ''darters," putin and cormorant. The penguin cannot fly in the air, cannot walk, but hops as if it's feet were tied together, and cannot swim, and can only with any grace fly under water. When the keeper of their quarters appears to feed the birds they each behave in their characteris- tic way. The fish thrown into the water, the penguins instantly plunge beneath, when an astonishing change takes place, thus described by a writer in the Spectator:
 The slow, ungainly bird is trans formed into swift and beautiful creature, beaded with globules of quicksilver where the air clings to the close feathers, and flying through the clear and waveless depths with arrowy speed and powers of turning far greater than in any known form of aerial flight. The rapid and steady strokes of the wings are exactly sim liar to those of the air birds, while the feet float straight out level with ;ts body, unused for propulsion or even as rudders, and as little needed in its progress as those of wild duck when on the wing. The twists and turns necessary to follow the active little fish are made wholly by the strokes of one wing and the cessation of move ment in the other; and the fish are chased, caught and swallowed without the slightest relaxation of speed in submarine flight which is quite as rapid as that of most birds which take their prey in midair. The head and shoulders may be brought above the surface for a second and then dis appear: but any attempt to remain on the surface leads to ludicrous splash ing and confusion, for the submarine bird cannot float.
 The movements of the cormorant are quite different. It does not plunge headlong, but launches itself on the surface and then ducks like grebe. Its wings are not used as propellers, but trail unresistingly level with its body, and the speed at which it courses through the water is wholly due to the swimming powers of it's large and ugly webbed feet. These are set quite at the end of the body and work 1nces- sanity like treadle or the floats of stern wheel steamer. Yet the condi- tions of submarine motion are so favor able that the speed of the bird below the surface is three or four times greater than that gained by equally rapid movements of the feet when it has risen and is swimming on the top. The 'darters"-divers of the African and American lakes-compared to the survival of some ancient Hzard-dive and swim much like the cormorant, except that the bird keeps it's neck drawn back ln the form of a fattened '.s'' when in pursuit of the fish, Once within striking distance the sharp bill is shot out as if from a catapult and the fish is spiked through and carried to the surface. This ascent is made after each single capture. Sometimes the bird has great difficulty in disen- tangling the pierced fish from the spearlike beak, and it's companion adroitly relieves it of the struggling victim and swallows the prize.