rs a good deal of information about the birds.

There were four varieties, he said, on Kerguelen Land, as far as he
could see, namely:-- the "king penguin," the aristocrat of the
community, who kept aloof from the rest; a black-and-white species that
whaling men call the "johnny;" a third, styled the "macaroni penguin,"
which had a handsome double tuft of rich orange-coloured feathers on
their heads; and a fourth variety, distinct from the last-mentioned only
from its smaller size, and the fact of its plume or crest being single
instead of double, and of a pale sulphur yellow in lieu of orange.

Amongst the penguins, too, were to be seen numbers of little
sheathbills--just like small bantams, similar to the specimen Frank
Harness had shot, and which he was so sorry about. The little birds
went about in pairs and appeared to act as the scavengers of the larger
ones, for they haunted their breeding-places, scraping about the nests
and dung, clearing out the rotten eggs, and making free with the insects
that properly appertained to the penguins. Indeed, they were impudent
enough sometimes to seize upon the freshly-laid egg that some lady
macaroni had laid, right under the eyes of its owner, feloniously
appropriating it to their own use; while they thought nothing of giving
an occasional peck to one of the king penguins if he got in their way,
regardless of his exalted position!

Flocks of shags, or cormorants, also visited the bay at the same time.
These were found good eating, although not so fleshy as the penguins;
and, before the end of the month, there came a large family of seals,
which would probably have taken up their abode in the creek had not some
of the sailors frightened them away so effectually by their
indiscriminate slaughter that they never returned, nor did any others
come subsequently to the place.

The coats of these seals were of a fine iron-grey hue, something like
that of an otter, only with much more delicate hair. Mr Meldrum was
very anxious to secure as many of them as was possible, so he was much
chagrined when they disappeared and left him fur-less.

Another visitor was the pretty little Cape pigeon, which Kate recognised
as an old friend and was delighted to see. It reminded her, she told
Frank, of "old times," when they grew acquainted with each other on
board the _Nancy Bell_ and watched the stars at night--and all the rest
of it!

But the penguins were the great attraction.

They