OCR Text |
Show 6 MR. A. D. BARTLETT ON HUMBOLDT'S PENGUIN. [ 1. Remarks upon the Habits and Change of Plumage ot Humboldt's Penguin. By A. D. BARTLETT, Superintendent of the Society's Gardens. [Received November 13, 1878.] On the 24th of January, 1878, a specimen of Humboldt's Penguin (Spheniscus humboldti) was purchased from a dealer in Liverpool. The bird was in poor condition when received, and very dirty, but perfectly tame, following one about, and seeming pleased to be taken on the "lap and nursed like an infant. At first it required to be fed by hand ; for if its food was placed on the ground the bird took no notice of it, although hungry. After a few days, if living fishes were thrown to it and the bird saw them jumping about on the floor, it began to pick up the fishes and swallow them. From this and from the colour and condition of its plumage, I have no doubt that the bird had been reared from the nest, and had never previously fed itself. It was some days before the Penguin ventured into the water ; but after the first wash the bird rapidly improved : the feathers became clean ; its appetite increased ; and it passed much time in the water, evidently gaining strength and weight. About this time it frequently uttered its loud braying jackass-like notes, and became fat and in full vigour. Figure 1 (p. 7) gives a very faithful representation of the bird at this time. About the 22nd of February, the bird appeared dull, and with half-closed eyes moped about: it became ill-tempered and spiteful, bit at any one who offered to touch it, and avoided going into the water. The bird looked larger than before, its feathers standing out from its body during this condition; but its appetite continued good, and it fed as freely as usual. In a few days the feathers began to fall off from all parts of the bird, not, as birds usually moult, a few feathers at a time, but in large quantities : for instance, the bird generally remained stationary during the night, and in the morning there was left round it a circle of cast feathers that had been shed during the night. So rapidly did the process of moulting go on, that by the 7th of March the bird had entirely renewed its plumage, and appeared in the adult dress, as represented in figure 2 (p. 8). The manner in which the flipper-like wings cast off the short scale-like feathers was remarkable: they flaked off like the shedding of the skin of a serpent; the new feathers being already plainly visible, the old feathers were pushed off by the new ones; this was very clearly noticeable, as many of the old feathers could be seen still attached to the tips of the new feathers, so that the bird was entirely covered with its new plumage before the old feathers dropped off. The bird had by these means entirely changed its dress and appearance in certainly less than ten days. It looked thinner on account of the shortness of its new feathers and doubtless from a decrease in bulk, consequent upon the rapid cleve- |