42 ZOOLOGICAL LOG OF THE SCOTIA 



Sept. 6th. A nelly was seen by Mr Bruce, and Mossmau heard a snowy petrel. 

 Weather cpite mild. 



Sept. 7th. A star-fish and several pycuogons were caught in the dredge, also a 

 piece of sea-weed with attached bryozoa. 



Brown and I went out to Point Martin to secure a young Weddell seal. We saw 

 four Weddell seals, two with young ones and two about to give birth. We had no 

 difficulty in securing a young one from its mother who did not follow us. On approach- 

 ing the second seal with a young one to take some snap-shots, we had to keep an eye 

 on her as she several times tried to attack us on our nearer approach. The young was 

 killed by prussic acid. Its temperature was taken a little while after the dose was given : 

 first reading was 97 '6 ; about five minutes afterwards the temperature was taken 

 twice, both times registering 99'2, which is doubtless the correct reading. 



Pirie examined the young seal's eye through an ophthalmoscope and found the 

 colour to be slatey. Two snowy petrels were seen. 



Sept. 8th. No catch in the dredge. Weather still cold, though very clear. Went 

 out again to Point Martin and saw the four Weddell seals we saw yesterday ; no 

 further developments had taken place. We crossed over the spit and saw several 

 other Weddell seals, all with young. Two of them tried to drive us away ; the third 

 mother stayed by its young, and on our second approach gave it several bites about 

 the head and neck, and finally took a good grab of it by the mouth and shook its baby 

 like a dog worries a rat. We interposed on the young one's part and took it from its 

 mother and home to the ship. The poor baby was very much damaged, so we killed it 

 almost immediately. The skin was much whiter than any we had yet seen, but owing 

 to the scars caused by the bites of its mother, it was decided to keep the specimen for 

 skeletal purposes. 



Some of the big females are much darker and with more pronounced spots than the 

 others. When disturbed they bark, and sometimes emit a sort of gurgling sound which 

 is generally accompanied by foaming at the mouth. No males have been seen since 

 the females have started pupping. All the females that we have seen with young or 

 about to become mothers have been always on ice close to land. The little bay north 

 of Point Martin seems a favourite place for them when with young. 



Three black-backed gulls, two nellies and two snowy petrels were seen to-day. 



Sept. 9th. Two orange star-fish and one cushion-star were in the dredge. The 

 Giesbrecht net was hauled up ; contents nil. Lifted the three seals' skeletons from a 

 hole where they had been for more than fifteen days, and lowered them down in the 

 hole cut for the Giesbrecht net. There were two fishes (Notothenia) and a large number 

 of amphipods on the carcases, though they had not made much impression on them. A 

 snowy petrel, a nelly and a shag were reported as having been seen. 



Sept. 10th. A few pycnogons and a star-fish were in the dredge. Went out in the 

 afternoon to look at two seals' skeletons which were lowered down in a hole near 

 " Sounding rock." Caught a big fish (Notothenia), weight 1 lb., and a very small one 



