FAR FROM HOME

Southland Times, Issue 22913, 11 June 1936, Page 9

FAR FROM HOME

PENGUIN FOUND IN CHRISTCHURCH. “Has anyone lost a penguin?” Detectives at the Central Police Station, Christchurch, are used to the most extraordinary questions in the normal course of their duty, but this one, put to some of them recently by a young man, was new to them (remarks The Press). At first one or two were inclined to think that they were being made the victims of a practical joke, but proof that a penguin, and a live one, had been found was produced by the young man who stood one up on the bench. The young man at first seemed shy of his surroundings, but the penguin was not in the least affected. He inspected each person in the room in turn and then paraded in dignified waddle up and down the bench. Whenever someone entered the room the penguin was immediately on the alert, and subjected him to a searching glance. When he was found the penguin was far from his natural haunts. The young man and his mother were returning home up Manchester street, and had reached the factory of Archbold Bros., Ltd., when something dark scurried across the road in front of them. Immediately the woman thought of rats, but the young man disagreed, and there was a chase up and down Manchester street for about three minutes before the penguin was caught. After the deteqtives had shown their most recent arrest to other members of the force, and after a photograph had been taken of the penguin posing proudly on a New Zealand Government chair, the young man took his capture away to New Brighton.