Encyclopaedia Britannica > Volume 15, NIC-PAR

Ansefes
371
Alee-
37*
fygmeea.
373
Apteno-
IiYTES.
374
Cliaracters.
r, 37S
I'hryso-
come.
Putachon-
'•ca.
ORNITHOLOGY.
beatl, space round the eyes, and the angle of the throat,
white 5 a yellow tuft of feathers rises from the upper
eyebrow, and stretches to the neck; legs brownish
orange j claws black ; length 19 inches j female less;
the tufts smaller, and the bill crossed only with two
grooves. Inhabits Kamtschatka and the neighbouring
islands.
Little auk, little black and white diver, Greenland
dove, sea turtle, &c.—-Bill without furrows and coni¬
cal; the whole abdomen and tips of the flag feathers
white; feet black. There is a variety that is totally
white, and another with a rufous breast. Niue inches
long. Inhabits Europe and America, particularly Spits¬
bergen, Greenland, and Newfoundland, where they are
called ice birds ; but they are rare visitants of the Bri¬
tish isles.
Pigmy auk.—Bill carinated, depressed at the base ;
body black above, cinereous beneath. Seven inches
long. Inhabits the islands between Asia and America.
Gen. 35. Aptenodytes, Penguin.
Bill straight, a little compressed and sharp-edged; upper
mandible longitudinally and obliquely grooved, the
lower truncated at the tip; tongue with reflected
prickles ; wings fin-shaped, without quill feathers ;
feet placed behind, four-toed, and palmated.
The birds of this genus resemble those of the preced¬
ing in colour, food, habit, and apparent stupidity, as also
in the situation of their feet, in their erect walk, in their
nests, and in their eggs. They differ from them, how¬
ever, in this, that they are all inhabitants of the South
seas, from the equator to the Antarctic circle. They
are quite incapable of flying, the feathers on their wings
being so short as to resemble scales. They are fortified
against cold by an abundance of fat; they swim very
swiftly; on land they sit erect, in a singular manner and
in vast multitudes, and they cackle like geese, only in a
hoarser tone. Their nostrils are linear, and hidden in a
furrow of the bill; their wings are covered with a strong
dilated membrane, and their tail-feathers very rigid.
Crested penguin.—Bill reddish brown; legs reddish;
frontal crest black, erect, auricular, sulphur colour, and
shed on each side ; body bluish black, white beneath ;
wings white beneath. Female with a yellowish stripe
on the eyebrow. Twenty-three inches long. Inhabits
the Falkland islands, and the southern parts of New
Holland. Called hopping penguin and jumping jack,
from its action of leaping quite out of the water, for
three or four feet at least, on meeting with the least
obstacle. Though more lively than its congeners, it is
so foolish as to allow itself to be knocked on the head
with a stick, or even to be taken by the hand. When
irritated, it erects its crest in a beautiful manner. These
birds make their nests among those of the pelican tribe,
with which they live in tolerable harmony, and seldom
lay more than one egg, which is white, and larger than
that of a duck.
Patagonian penguin.—Bill and legs black; ears with
a golden spot; lower mandible tawney at the base; irides
hazel; head and hind part of the neck brown; back
dark blue; breast, belly, and vent white. Four feet
three inches long. Inhabits Falkland islands and New
Guinea. M. Bougainville caught one, which soon be¬
came so tame as to follow and know the person who had
5°7
the care of it; at first it fed on flesh, fish, and bread, Anseres
but after some time, grew lean, pined and died. This '——v—"--''
species is not only the largest, but the fattest of its
genus; and its flesh, though not very unpalatable, is
black. 377
Cape penguin.—Bill and legs black ; eyebrows and Dmm«.
pectoral band white. Size of a large duck; length zi
inches. Inhabits the Atlantic and Antarctic seas,
chiefly round the Cape of Good Hope. Lays two
white eggs, which are reckoned delicious eating. Like
all of the genus, swims and dives well, but hops and
flutters in a strange awkward manner on land, and if
hurried stumbles perpetually, or makes use of its wings
instead of legs, till it can recover its upright posture,
crying at the same time like a goose, but with a hoarser
voice. There are two or three varieties. 37*
Little pe?iguin.—Bill black ; legs white. Fifteen Minor.
inches long. Inhabits New Zealand. Digs deep holes
in the earth, in which it lays its eggs.
37S>
Gen. 36. Procellaria, Petrel. Prsceiaa-
KIA.
Bill toothless, a little compressed, hooked at the point; 3S0
mandibles equal; nostrils cylindrical, tubular, trun-^laracters*
cated, lying on the base of the bill ; feet palmated,
hind claw sessile, and without a toe.
The birds of this genus all frequent the deep, w here
they endure the greatest storms, being hardly ever seen
on shore, except at breeding time. They are, however,
capable of walking, and their legs are bare of feathers
a little above the knee. They feed on the fat of dead
whales and fish, and have the faculty of spouting oil
from their nostrils.
Pacific petrel.—Black, dusky beneath; legs spotted Perci/ictf.
with black ; bill plumbeous and much hooked ; nostrils
elevated, oval, distinct, obliquely placed; legs pale.
Twenty-two inches long. Inhabits, in vast flocks, the
islands of the Pacific ocean. These flocks disappear at
once, dipping under water altogether, and then rise as
suddenly.
Divingpetrel.~\\ 1 ackish brown; white beneath; bn. TJPnatnx.
and chin black; legs blue green, without the spur be¬
hind. Eight inches and a half long. Inhabits New
Zealand in numerous flocks, and dives remarkably w'ell,
often rising at considerable distances, with surprising
agility. They croak like frogs, and sometimes make
a noise like the cackling of a hen. ^
Stormy petrel, stornijinch, Mother Cary's chicken, &c. pelagica.
—Black, with a white rump. This species is about the Plate
size of a swallow, and in its general appearance and cccxcvu,
flight, not unlike that bird. Length about six inches. 3*
The stormy petrel is rarely seen on our shores, except in
some of the northern islands, where it breeds in the holes
of rocks, or under loose stones, in the months of June
and July. At all other seasons it keeps far out at sea.
Multitudes of them are seen all over the vast Atlantic
ocean, especially before stormy wreather. They often
skim with incredible velocity along the hollows of the
waves, and sometimes on the summits, braving the ut¬
most fury of the tempest. As they appear to run on
the surface of the sea, they have their name from an
allusion to Peter's walking on the water. The inhabi¬
tants of the Faroe isles draw a wick through the body
of this bird, which is so fat as to burn when lighted, and
serve the purpose of a candle.—There is a variety with
3 S 2 the