[Penn and Hennie are penguins living in a colony or flock near the South Pole. Hundreds of baby penguins have just been hatched, and Penn and Hennie are the proud parents of twins.]
The twins grew and grew. At two weeks their little stomachs were so round that they rested on the ground. One trouble, of course, was to keep the little fellows fed. They had to get their growth before it was time to make the long journey north, and that meant eating quantities of shrimps. The time came when they really needed both parents to fish for them. But Penn felt that either himself or his wife, Hennie, must always be on guard to drive skuas from the nest. These murderous gulls were always gliding and screeching overhead, on the look out for the first fledgeling left alone.
Every family in the colony was having to face the same problem. "I have it!" said Penn. "Let"s get all the little ones together in a kindergarten. Then a few of us can stand guard over all the chicks, while the rest go fishing for them." Penn and Huff were the first to take charge of the kindergarteners. They selected a sheltered spot where a rock ledge rose ontwo sides, and there they herded the half-grown youngsters, several hundreds of them. The grey balls of down looked like shadows against the black rocks. But the skuas could see them just the same.
" Don"t run away, now !" Penn told them, when the grown-ups had left for the fishing grounds. " The skuas will get you if you don"t behave." When Hennie came back that first evening with fish for the twins, she was met by several dozen other fuzzy grey chicks, all waving their flippers and squealing to be fed. It was a wonder she knew her own two, but she did.
"Tell you what," said Penn, when he had gone supperless himself for two days. "We"ll have to teach these youngsters to catch their own meals. I think I"ll start giving them swimming lessons next week." And he set four bachelors of the colony to road-making, that the chicks might walk to the beach when the time came. There were rolling pebbles to be carried out of the way, and at one place a tangle of seaweed to be dragged to one side. Penguins are skilled at road- making.
Between meals the twins kept waving their flippers, squealing "I want to fly!-I want to fly!" The whole kinder- garten was doing the same.
"It can"t be done," a wise old bird told them again andagain. "It has been thousands and millions of years sincepenguins had need of air travel."
"Never mind, chicks," called Penn, in his sympathetic throaty voice. " You"re going to be flying under water very soon. So come along, all of you," and he led the way to the beach. Arrived at a shallow tide-pool, Penn stood, his black and white uniform reflected in the sunny water, till his class was assembled on the banks.
"Now watch !" he bade them. They all craned their necks to peer. Penn allowed himself to fall gently forward on his chest in the shallow water. Then, with his feet straight out behind, he began swinging his flippers forward and backward, forward and backward. It sent him across the pool at a great rate. He turned, steering with one foot outstretched.
Many of the chicks simply would not venture in that first day, but by the next all were paddling and floating happily about. On the third day, Penn led his class down to the high- water line; then he waited. The tide was coming in. The chicks, frisky in the salt breeze, started a tug-o"-war with a long brown ribbon of seaweed, and did not even notice when a big wave came, till they felt themselves gently lifted off their feet. They squealed, but, to their own surprise, found all they had to do was to float as they had in the tide- pool.
After all, they were nearly as large as their parents bynow, so unbelievably fast had they been growing. The skuas, no longer daring to attack birds that had grown larger than themselves, glided overhead, fighting among themselves for what they found to eat. When one of them got his beak caught in a clam-shell and could not defend himself, the other skuas turned cannibal, lawless birds that they were, and tore him to pieces. When another of their number broke his wing, the same thing happened, so that there were fewer skuas with every day that passed.
When the full moon turned the icy world to silver, it was hard to go home to bed, and young and old used to linger about the beach, gossiping and singing beneath the roaring of the waves.
As Penn thought of how the time would come when every member of the colony must make his way to winter quarters, he formed a band of young people and drilled them in penguin tactics. Soon they knew how to stand in rows, all facing one way, presenting only black backs to the world. But when their leader turned about they obeyed his word of command. There was a reason for this, for the time might come when it would mean death to disobey. The penguin is one of the few creatures that has learned to live in that world of appalling hazards.
Before many days, Hennie came back from fishing to begreeted by the usual " Eeeeee!" from the over-grown twins.
But she offered them not one bite.
"Come," she bade them, "if you are hungry;" and throwing herself forward on the shallow water, she led them out to where it was deep enough for diving. There she took one deep breath, ducked her head, and began paddling under water. She came up fifty feet away, and waited till the chicks had followed her example. Then she taught them how to watch for the shrimps that backed away from their pursuers, and how to swim after one till it could be swallowed head first.
The chicks were hungry, and they kept trying till they were as good fishermen as anyone. Penn exchanged a glance of pride with their mother. "Our work is done," she nodded joyously.
From Penn the Penguin, by Allen Chaffee
Author.-Miss Allen Chaffee is an American writer, born in Iowa,U.S.A. After a college and university education, she became a journalist and was associated with a number of Boston newspapers. She has written many books for boys and girls. Penn the Penguin was published in 1931.
General Notes.-What have you learned from this reading lessonabout the habits of penguins? There is sure to be a "bird book" in your school. Find out all you can about the nests and eggs of the penguins and also the names of three kinds that visit Australia.