QUESTION:
I read in Voyage of the Beagle by Charles Darwin that early sailors around
Antarctica would cut the heads off penguins and stick a wick down their neck and
burn them like candles when they had run out of tallow and/or candle wax.
Would this in fact work because of the the high fat/oil content in the penguins'
bodies?

        Thank you for your time, 
              Brent W., McCormick Junior High School. 
              Cheyenne, Wy. 82009 

ANSWER from Polly Penhale, Program Manager
            Office of Polar Programs,National Science Foundation
            Tue, 25 Feb 97 09:22:06 EST

Dear Brent,

This is an interesting a question about using penguins as "candles" during the 
voyage of the Beagle. Yes, penguins do have a high fat content and that
is probably why they could be used in such a manner. At some point
during the whaling/elephant sealing days in the Antarctic, penguins were 
actually used as fuel to fire up the vats in which the whale and elephant
seal blubber was processed.

Thanks for your question!
Polly P.