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Show 1868.] THE SECRETARY ON ADDITIONS TO THE MENAGERIE. 527 7. A young female Sea-Lion (Otaria jubata), from the Falkland Islands, received August 24th. This individual was the only survivor of eight examples of this animal captured in various spots on the coast of the Falklands by Adolphe Alexandre Lecomte, the Society's keeper, who had been sent out there by the Council of the Society for the purpose of obtaining living specimens of it. Lecomte left Swansea on the 1st of June, 1867, in the coal-ship 'Epsilon' (Capt. Williams), and arrived at Port Stanley on the 11th of August. The first fortnight after his arrival he devoted to excursions along the shores in the vicinity of Port Stanley, but found little of interest here except Upland Geese (Chloephaga magellanica), Kelp Geese (C antarctica), and other birds, and a single Sea- Leopard (Stenorhynchus leptonyx) shot in a remote part of Stanley Harbour, being the only specimen of this animal met with during his stay in the Falklands. In the middle of September Lecomte went to Capt. Packe's establishment at Island Harbour, and stayed there a month, searching the creeks and shores diligently in that vicinity. " Elephant Island," in this neighbourhood, so called from the former abundance there of the Sea-Elephant (Morunga proboscidea), was found to be quite deserted by this animal, which is said to be now entirely extinct in the Falklands, though its former abundance in certain spots is well known, and is further testified by remains of its bones and teeth met with on the shores, specimens of which were obtained and brought home. In December Lecomte returned to Port Stanley, where Governor Robinson most kindly gave him a room in Government House whilst engaged in preparing specimens and prosecuting researches for the Society. His Excellency likewise allowed him the use of a schooner of eight tons burden, in which he made several voyages to Volunteer Lagoon and the adjoining shores of East Falkland. This was in the month of December, when the various species of Penguins are most easily captured. On the north shore of East Falkland, to which he crossed from Volunteer Lagoon, Lecomte found a large "rookery" of Gentoo Penguins (Pygosceles wagleri) ; amongst them were about twenty King-Penguins (Apte-rodytes pennantii). Lecomte captured about a dozen individuals of each of these species, and about the same number of the Rock-hopper Penguin (Eudyptes nigrivestis, Gould), Macaroni-Penguin (E. chrysolophus), and Jackass Penguin (Spheniscus magellanicus), all of which were assembled together at Port Stanley at the end of December 1867. Lecomte remarked that the Macaroni-Penguin does not constitute rookeries of its own, but is found sparingly mixed up among the Rock-hoppers in certain localities. But at Eagle Point, where there is a large rookery of Rock-hoppers (consisting of, perhaps, 40,000 birdsj, not a single Macaroni was found. He likewise noted that the Jackass Penguin differs entirely from the other species in its method of breeding, as it lays its egg at the end of a deep burrow (sometimes 20 feet from the orifice) which it excavates near the sea-shore*. * Cf. Capt. Abbott's notes in ' The Ibis,' 1860, p. 336, et 1861, p. 163. |