Upon a ledge of rock, sufficiently level and of the necessary size, they trace a square with one of its sides parallel and overlooking the edge of the water, which is left open for the egress of the colony. Then with their beaks they proceed to collect all the stones in the neighborhood, which they heap up outside the lines marked out, to serve them as a wall to shelter them from the prevailing winds. During the night these openings are guarded by sentinels. They afterwards divide the enclosure into smaller squares, each large enough to receive a certain number of nests, with a passage between each square. No architect could arrange the plan in a more regular manner. What is most singular is that the Albatross, a Bird adapted for flight, associates at this period with these half Fish, half Birds, the Penguins; so that the nest of an Albatross may be seen next the nest of a Penguin, and the whole colony, so differently constituted, appear to live on the best terms of intimacy. Each keeps to its own nest, and if by chance there is a complaint, it is that some Penguin has robbed the nest of his neighbor, the Albatross. Other Sea-birds come to partake of the hospitality of the little republic. With the permission of the masters of the society, they build their nests in the vacancies that occur in the squares. The Penguin lays but one egg, which she only leaves for a few moments until hatched, the mate taking her place while she seeks her food. The Penguins are so numerous in the Antarctic seas, that 100,000 eggs have been collected by the crew of one vessel. The King Penguin has been described by most Naturalists as a distinct species. Of this there is little doubt. They abound in the southern seas. Their short stunted wings, which make them quite incapable of flying, are reduced to a flat and very short stump, totally destitute of feathers, being covered with a soft down, having something of the appearance of hair, which might be taken for scales. Like all the Penguins, this Bird is an excellent swimmer and diver, and its coating of down is so dense that it even resist a bullet; it is consequently difficult to shoot. Their nests are a very simple construction, for they content themselves with a hole in the sand deep enough to contain two eggs, but more often one. In spite of the limited number of eggs, the quantity of these Birds found in the south of Patagonia is something marvellous. When sailors land in these high latitudes they take or kill as many as they choose. Sir John Narborough says, speaking of those at the Falkland Islands, that “when the sailors walked among the feathered population to provide themselves with eggs, they were regarded with sidelong glances.” In many places the shores were covered with these Birds, and 300 have been taken within an hour; for generally they make no effort to escape, but stand quietly by while their companions are being knocked down with sticks.