the cold countries, especially islands, near
the South Pole. They are aquatic birds, spending much of their time in
the water, and living upon the fish which they chase and catch in the
sea. For this reason they congregate upon the rocky shores, where they
may be seen standing in thousands, like regiments of soldiers. Their
webbed feet are placed very far back, close to the stumpy tail, and so
the long body has to stand very straight up in order to balance itself.
This gives them a very odd, man-like appearance. Their wings are small
and narrow, and look more like flappers, or stunted arms, than wings.
They are not covered with feathers, but with stumps, which look more
like bristles or scales, and the wings appear to be set on to the body
almost the wrong way about. They are not of the smallest use for flying,
and the penguin never attempts to do that; but when it takes to the
water, the wings are seen to be admirably formed and placed for
swimming.

The penguin is lighter than the water, yet it swims with its body below
the surface, never at any time having more than its head out. It is
enabled to do this by the peculiar shape of its wings, which will carry
it down and forwards, as the wings of air-birds carry them upwards and
forwards. So well fitted for swimming are these curious wings that the
penguin is more than a match for most fishes in their own element. When
chasing its prey, it comes to the surface with a spring, and dives again
so quickly that it is almost impossible to distinguish it from a fish
leaping in the air. How confident it feels upon the sea may be imagined
when we learn that Sir James Ross once saw two penguins swimming calmly
along a thousand miles from the nearest land.

The penguin is an enormous eater. It has a very long stomach, which
reaches to the lower part of the body, and is capable, in the case of a
large bird, of holding more than two pounds of fish. The largest kind of
penguin may be from three to four feet tall, and will weigh about eighty
pounds. This is only about half the weight of a well-developed man, so
that you may judge the capacity of the penguin's stomach by doubling it
and comparing it with a man's. The bird, like many other birds, appears
to swallow pieces of stone to help it to grind down its food, for Sir
John Ross found ten pounds of granite and other kinds of stone in the
stomach of a penguin which he caught--no light weight for such a bird to
carry about.

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