e were so
stunned with the clamour which they and other sea-birds kept up around
us that we knew not which way to look, for they covered the rocks in
thousands; but as we continued to gaze, we observed several quadrupeds
(as we thought) walking in the midst of the penguins.

"Pull in a bit," cried Peterkin, "and let's see what these are. They
must be fond of noisy company to consort with such creatures."

To our surprise, we found that these were no other than penguins which
had gone down on all fours, and were crawling among the bushes on their
feet and wings, just like quadrupeds. Suddenly one big old bird, that
had been sitting on a point very near to us, gazing in mute
astonishment, became alarmed, and scuttling down the rocks, plumped or
fell, rather than ran, into the sea. It dived in a moment, and, a few
seconds afterwards, came out of the water far ahead with such a spring,
and such a dive back into the sea again, that we could scarcely believe
it was not a fish that had leaped in sport.

"That beats everything!" said Peterkin, rubbing his nose, and screwing
up his face with an expression of exasperated amazement. "I've heard of
a thing being neither fish, flesh, nor fowl; but I never did expect to
live to see a brute that was all three together--at once--in one! But
look there!" he continued, pointing with a look of resignation to the
shore--"look there! there's no end to it. What has that brute got under
its tail?"

We turned to look in the direction pointed out, and there saw a penguin
walking slowly and very sedately along the shore with an egg under its
tail. There were several others, we observed, burdened in the same way;
and we found afterwards that these were a species of penguin that always
carried their eggs so. Indeed, they had a most convenient cavity for
the purpose, just between the tail and the legs. We were very much
impressed with the regularity and order of this colony. The island
seemed to be apportioned out into squares, of which each penguin
possessed one, and sat in stiff solemnity in the middle of it, or took a
slow march up and down the spaces between. Some were hatching their
eggs, but others were feeding their young ones in a manner that caused
us to laugh not a little. The mother stood on a mound or raised rock,
while the young one stood patiently below her on the ground. Suddenly
the mother raised her head and uttered a series of the most discordant
cackling sounds.