DOMESTIC LIFE 



without eggs. The cock I had followed, ruffled 

 and battered with battle, ran up to the waiting bird, 

 and the usual side-to-side chatter in the ecstatic 

 attitude began and continued for half a minute, after 

 which each became calmer, and I left them appar- 

 ently reconciled and arranging stones in the nest. 



*' This incident was after the usual nature of a 

 dispute between two mates for a hen, but the pacific 

 interference of the other birds was quite new to 

 my experience. That it was pacific I am quite 

 convinced, and Campbell agreed with me that there 

 was no doubt of it. All the nests round about 

 had eggs under incubation, and the pair in question 

 must have been newcomers." 



On returning home I was glad to find that Mr. 

 Bernacchi, who landed at Cape Adare with the 

 " Southern Cross " expedition, says in his account 

 (p. 131) that he also saw penguins interfering and 

 trying to stop others from fighting. 



Owing to our having several snowfalls without 

 wind, and to the action of the sun on the black 

 rock, which I have mentioned already, the rookery 

 became a mass of slush in many places, and in some 

 of the lower-lying parts actually flooded. In some 

 of these low-lying situations penguins had unwarily 

 made their nests, and there was one particular little 



E 65 



