Page:The birds of Tierra del Fuego - Richard Crawshay.djvu/289

Rh is in the sea, where they swimm in such sort, as nature may seeme to have granted them no small prerogatiue in swiftnesse, both to prey vpon others, and themselues to escape from any others that seeke to cease vpon them; and such was the infinite resort of these birds to these Hands, that in the space of 1 day we killed no lesse than 3000."

At "Pengin Island," near Port Desire, in 1587. Thomas Cavendish" powdred three tunnes of Penguins for the victualing of his shippe."

Sir Richard Hawkins visited Penguin Island in the Strait of Magellan in 1594, and his description of its inhabitants is throughout full of original observations and quaint methods of expression.

"The Pengwin," he says, "is in all proportion like a Goose, and hath no feathers, but a certaine downe vpon all parts of his bodie; and therefore cannot flee, but auayleth himselfe in all occasions with his feet, running as fast as most men. He liueth in the Sea, and on the Land feedeth on fish in the Sea, and as a Goose on the shore vpon grasse. They harbour themselues vnder the ground in Burrowes, as the Conies; and in them hatch their young. All parts of the Hand where they haunted were vndermined, saue onely one Valley which (it seemeth) they reserued for their food; for it was as greene as any Medow in the moneth of Aprill, with a most fine short grasse. The flesh of these Pengwins is much of the sauour of a certaine Fowle taken in the Hands of Lundey and Silley, which we call Puffins, by the taste it is easily discerned that they feed on fish. They are very fat, and in dressing must be flead as the Byter; they are reasonable meate rosted, baked, or sodden; but best rosted. We salted some doozen or sixteene Hogsheads, which serued vs (whilest they lasted) insteed of powdred Beefe. The hunting of them (as wee may well terme it) was a great recreation to my company and worth the sight, for, in determining to catch them, necessarily was required good store of people, euery one with a cudgell in his hand, to compasse them round about, to bring them, as it were, into a Ring; if they chanced to breake out,