Every morning at the zoo in Edinburgh, Scotland, the keeper opens a certain gate to a certain pen, and out come the penguins. They are going for their daily walk, a custom that has been observed for a number of years. A crowd gathers to watch them, but the penguins find just as much fun in staring at the people.

Wild penguins are found only in the southern half of the world. In the severe climate of the Antarctic, man can live only with the help of modern science, but penguins are thoroughly at home there. They fish happily in the icy water, float out to sea on pieces of ice, playfully shove each other into the water, waddle sedately across the icefields, or toboggan along on their stomachs.

The more one learns about penguins, the more fascinating they are. During recent Antarctic expedition, scientists have been able to study them and learn more about their curious habits. Someday they will solve many more penguin puzzles. But even then penguins will remain some of the world's most remarkable birds.

From the dust jacket