144 THE ARCTURUS ADVENTURE 



like skimmers. Besides this they flew actually into 

 and through the high waves, working both feet 

 and wings under water and often turning com- 

 pletely around before they emerged with tiny 

 fish in their beaks. The wings flapped more rapidly 

 under water and the feet paddled like mad. Every 

 bird of the eight or ten near the Arcturus did this 

 again and again, so it was in no sense an individual 

 peculiarity. One shearwater was completely im- 

 mersed for shorter or longer periods, seven times in 

 nine minutes, and at the end the plumage seemed 

 as dry as ever, and the flight was in no way heavy 

 or impaired. 



The greatest tragedy we saw was a full-grown 

 sea-lion which suddenly leaped high, close to the 

 shore. Five times he sprang, arching over eight to 

 ten feet clear of the seething water and in blind 

 agony headed straight for the scarlet delta of the 

 lava. There was no final effort, — the last leap 

 apparently carried him straight to death (Fig. 28) . 



At sunset we stood slowly in toward shore for a 

 last look at the miracle which had been wrought 

 for our benefit. I sat upon the very point of the 

 bow and the sight which came to me from either 

 hand might well have been from two different 

 planets. To my left rose the long, sweeping slopes 

 of Mount Williams, quiet in the sunlight, old, grey, 

 dusty-looking lava alternating with masses of 

 green cactus and bursera, while the shore was 

 picked out with brilliant green mangroves. Clean, 

 fleecy, unliurrying clouds drifted gently past the 

 mountain's summit — Galapagos in her usual mood. 



