Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1907-05-08
THE EMPEROR PENGUIN.
Queer Ways Of This Great Polar Bird
and its YOUNG.

ano Its Young
mot many birds undertorc to iay
fthelr eggs in the darkness or a polar
winter. nor DO many bird GEAR TO
think tbat sea Ice Is the ,ao<t .attrac-
dive grosnsd to SIT on.
when in addition to this writes
Edmund, A. Wilson in THE Toysge OF
the Discovery eve nnd Tic emperor
penguin matching oct rs chicks IN The
coolest month OF the wiloi antarctic
year. when the mean Temperature for
the month Is IS degree bc.or- zero. T.
and the minimum may fan to-Gs de-
grees, think we may rightly consider
the bird 20 &c eccentric.
The emperor penguin stands nearly
four feet high ana weighs upward OF
eighty TO rinety pounds. He l. an ex-
cecdingiy handsome bird. with a rich
black head. a blush gray back and
Wings, lemol yellow breast. with a
satinlike gloss on the feathers and n
brilliant patch OF orange on the neck
and lower bill.
His movements are slow and state
~, and the dignity OF his appearance
Is much Increased by the upright car
riage OF hls head ana bill.
Ills voice Is Lord and trufnpet- like
and rings out IN TIE pack ice with n
note OF defiance< that makes one feel
man Is tho rcal Intruder. Pcncuius
have no fear. but ain abundance OF in
Guisitlveness, and XIII walk I'D 70 n
human being and stand in a ring
around him. with an occasional remark
from one TO the other. discussing no
doubt the nature OF this new and up-
right neighbor.
The methoI employed by the en-
peror penguin fo- carrying the egg
and click upon his Feet IS shared also
by the King penguin OF to snbant-
arctic arc. rs we saw i'm Our visit to
their rookeries in the Macquarie is
lands.
The k,rg penguin we saw as he sat
IN mud AL pudiles, with his single
cgg upon his feet. ana now we saw
the emperor penguin doing precisely
the same thing with bis single chicken
TO keep Il of the Ice. and we are
agreed that the term porch. which has
been used IN this connection. Is one
which not only does not describe the
matter. hut Is nnatomically wrong and
misleading.
The single egg. or the chick. sits
resting on the dorsum OF the foot.
weGged In between the legs and the
lower abdomen. and over IL falls n fold
or heavily feathered skin. which IS
very loose, and can completely cover
up and HIDE the egg or chick from
view. When the chick Is hungry or
inquisitive. It poSes out from under
the material COR paternaD lappet \
piebald dov-ny head OF black and
white. emitting its shrin and persist.
ent pipe until the mother Tor the IA.
ther) fills It up.
The feeding Is managed rs with
cormorants and many other birds. the
little one finding regurgitated food
when IL TRUSTS its head inside the
parents mouth.
Il think the chickens hate their par.
cnts. and when one watches the pro.
cecdings In n roolery IL strikes one rs
not surprising. In the first place,
there is about one chick TO ten or
twelve adults. and each adult has an
overpowerlng desire TO sit on some
TO nurse. and the result is that when
chicken finds himself alone there Is
a rush on the part OF dozen unem-
ployed 10 seize him.
Naturally he runs away and lodges
here and there till six stone emperor
falls on him. and then begins n regular
football scrimmage. I'm which each tries
to hustle the other OF. and the end is
too often disastrous 70 the chick.
Sometimes he falls into n crack In
the Ice AMI stays there 10 be frozen
while the parents sQuabblc nj the top.
Sometimes. rather than be nursed. I
have seen him crawl I'm under an ice
ledge and remain there. where the old
ones cannot reach him. think Il Is
not m eXaGyeration TO say that of the
- per cent that die no less than half
are killed By Kindness