Page:Polar Exploration - Bruce - 1911.djvu/145

Rh at the Mackenzie Peninsula rookery. There is one very remarkable discovery the Scotia naturalists made with regard to the young of this bird, and that is, that the chick has two stages of down. This is a most interesting discovery, for no other bird is known to have more than one down stage. These are the four species of penguins characteristic of the Antarctic Regions, though the golden crested or Marconi penguin (Catarrhactes chrysolophus) is also recorded from the South Orkneys as a straggler, and breeds at the South Shetlands. Thus it is seen that there are several million penguins of at least three species on South Orkneys alone! Imagine the legions that swarm on every possible Antarctic coast!

Among the important ornithological results of the Scottish National Expedition, not the least striking were the investigations made by the Scotia naturalists on petrels. Wilson petrels (Oceanites oceanicus) were found breeding in considerable numbers, and several eggs were obtained. They had only previously been found breeding on Kerguelen. The occurrence of the Black-bellied stormy petrel (Fregetta melanogaster), says Mr. Eagle Clarke, "was one of the most interesting ornithological discoveries made by the expedition. It implies a remarkable extension in its known range, and removes the doubt which has hitherto