SCOTIA BAY, SOUTH ORKNEYS, 1903 89 



others on shells, rock and stalked coelenterates ; eight sea-anemones, all of one species, 

 a kind of yellowish salmon colour, the same, I think, as has been dredged from 10 

 fathoms, and a stalked colonial hvdrozoon, forming beards on the stones; sponges, same 

 form as got in 10 fathoms dredge ; pycnogons, three to four of the common small species. 



First young adelia penguins were got to-day at the "Half-Moon" rookery. About 

 a dozen hatched altogether. Probably some were hatched yesterday or the. day 

 before at the big rookery, as, when we were there on the .3rd, some of the <'ggs were 

 chipped, (lot dated gentoo eggs for embryos, 21 to 2.3 days old. 



N.U. Of the embryos preserved as being of same date, some are evidently not at 

 the same stage of incubation although laid on same date, This is probably because an 

 interval of two or three days has elapsed between the laying of the two eggs, and 1 

 suppose incubation has only thoroughly started after the second one \vas laid. If two 

 embryos marked as being of same day of incubation are at different stages, the more 

 advanced one will therefore be the more nearly correct, as these figures express correctly 

 at least the maximum stage of development. 



Other birds seen about were ringed penguins, skuas, nellies, gulls, paddies, terns, 

 Wilson's and snowy petrels, and Cape pigeons. Numerous pieces of compound ascidians 

 seen floating in the bay and also cast up on The Beach. Numerous \Yeddell seals on 

 the shore about Point Martin. 



Dec. 7th. Birds seen : three species of penguins, gulls, nellies, skuas, paddies. 

 terns, snowy petrels and AVilson's petrels. 



Dec. 8th. Birds observed : ringed and adelia penguins, gulls, nellies, skuas, shags, 

 paddies, terns, Wilson's and snowy petrels, and Cape pigeons. 



Dec. 9th. Birds observed : black-throated penguins, gulls, skuas, terns and 

 snowy petrels. 



Dec. \0th. Birds seen: three kinds of penguins, skuas, gulls, shags, nellies, terns, 

 paddies, Cape pigeons, snowy petrels and AVilson's petrels. 



Skua's nest on moraine above Point Martin one egg (broken). (iot gentoo pen- 

 guins' embryos, 24 to 27 days old, from " Half-Moon " rookery. Not a great number of 

 adelia young as yet. The adelia penguins are very much quieter to-day than I have ever 

 observed them before. There is a large bare patch on the abdomen into which the 

 chicks creep and are well protected from the wind and snow. No gentoo young at 

 this rookery yet. 



Weddell seals on the beach at Point Martin. Saw one young one with its first 

 coat not yet all cast. They seem to be in pairs. Saw one adult going into the sea 

 between two floe-pieces. The gap was very narrow between the ice tongues, and the 

 seal had to lash out vigorously with it hind nippers before it could get through. We 

 had observed a recent bleeding sore on its flank, and it was suggested that ice is a 

 possible cause of the scars on seals. 



Dec. llth. Down at the large penguin rookeries. Large number of young 

 birds now but still a considerable quantity of unhatched eggs. Some of the 

 M 



