20G A NATURALIST ON THE " CHALLENGER." 



the " Nelly " or " Stinker " of sealers. This bird in its habits is 

 most remarkably like the vnlture. 



It soars all day along the coast on the look-out for food. No 

 sooner is an animal killed, than numbers appear as if by magic, 

 and the birds are evidently well acquainted with the usual 

 proceedings of sealers— who kill the Sea-Elephant, take off 

 the skin and blubber, and leave the carcass. They settled down 

 here all round in groups, at a short distance, a dozen or so 

 together, to wait, and began fighting amongst themselves, as if 

 to settle which was to have first bite. 



The birds gorge themselves with food, just like the vultures, 

 and are then unable to fly. I came across half a dozen together 

 at Christmas Harbour in this condition. We landed just oppo- 

 site them ; they began to run to get out of the way. The men 

 chased them, they ran off, spreading their wings, but unable to 

 rise ; some struggled into the water and swam away, but two 

 went running on, gradually disgorging their food, in the utmost 

 hurry, until they were able to rise, when they made off to sea. 



The northern Fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis) seems to resemble 

 the " Breakbones " very closely in habits. Like it, it does not 

 nest in holes like most Proccllaridce. It feeds in the high north 

 on carrion, and becomes so gorged with meat from a whale's 

 carcass as to be unable to fly without disgorging* 



I was astonished at the comparatively small qnantity of food, 

 that is, the smallness of the extra weight, which made all the 

 difference between the bird's not being able to rise at all, and its 

 being able to soar away with almost its usual power. It would 

 be interesting to test various birds with weights and compare 

 their power in this respect. A Procellaria is evidently very 

 much below an Accipitine in strength in this matter though so 

 perfect a flyer. 



But the " Breakbones ' were not the only birds which 

 assembled to feast on the remains of the Sea-Elephants. With 

 them came the Skuas, but not in great numbers, and multitudes 

 of gulls and Sheath-bills, which latter were the most impudent, 

 and the first to dare approach a dead cow Elephant which we 

 left on the rocks. The whole of the birds must have been clis- 

 * MacGillivray, "British Water Birds," Vol. IT, p. 436. 



