distinctly repeated, and by such various tones
of voices, that several times I started, and
expected to see one of the men at my elbow.
Even these little creatures, as well as the
monstrous sea elephant, appear to keep up a
continued warfare with each other.
As the penguins sit in rows, forming regular
lanes leading down to the beach, whenever
one of them feels an inclination to refresh
herself by a plunge into the sea, she has to
run the gauntlet through the whole street,
every one pecking at her as she passes without
mercy; and though all are occupied in
the same employment, not the smallest degree
of friendship seems to exist; and whenever
we turned one off her nest she was sure to
be thrown amongst foes; and, besides the
loss of her eggs, was invariably doomed to
receive a severe beating and pecking from
her companions. Each one lays three eggs,
and, after a time, when the young are strong
enough to undertake the journey, they go to
sea, and are not again seen till the ensuing
spring. Their city is deserted of its numerous
inhabitants, and quietness reigns till nature
prompts their return the following year, when
the same noisy scene is repeated, as the same
flock of birds returns to the spot where they
were hatched.
After raising a tremendous tumult in this
numerous colony, and sustaining continued
combat, we came off victorious, making capture
of about a thousand eggs, resembling in
size, colour, and transparency of shell, those
of a duck ; and the taking possession of this
immense quantity did not occupy more than
one hour, which may serve to prove the incalculable
numbers of birds collected together.
We did not allow them sufficient time, after
landing, to lay all their eggs ; for, had the
season been further advanced, and we had
found three eggs in each nest, the whole of
them might probably have proved addled, the
young partly formed, and the eggs of no use
to us; but the whole of those we took turned
out good, and had a particularly fine and
delicate flavour. It was a work of considerable
difficulty to get our. booty safe into the
boat — so frail a cargo — with so tremendous a
surf running against us. However, we finally