RESEARCH ON PENGUINS

Press, Volume XCIII, Issue 27874, 24 January 1956, Page 9

RESEARCH ON PENGUINS

Dominion Scientist’s Work PUBLICATION BY OXFORD PRESS A study of penguins, the culmination of 18 years’ research by Dr. L. E. Richdale, a New Zealand ornithologist, will be published this year by the Clarendon Press, Oxford. Dr. Richdale returned last week from England where he has been writing on his researches dealing entirely with the population, statistics of the bird on the Otago Peninsula. It is a sequel to his book “Sexual Behaviour in Penguins.” This was published by the University of Kansas in 1951 and it is recognised by ornithologists as a standard work on the bird. Dr. Richdale said in Dunedin that he had spent most of his time with the Department of Zoological Field Studies at Oxford University and had had many fruitful discussions with bird authorities. One book, which will be published shortly and which he has had an opportunity of viewing, is a life history of the Adelie penguin. This has been written by an Englishman and, according to Dr. Richdale, it is the best account of the bird which has yet been prepared. He met some Frenchmen who had spent 11 months in the Antarctic gathering material on the Emperor and King penguins and he said he thought they had made a “remarkably good job.”