ADELIE PENGUINS 



which is not strong enough to blow the snow away, 

 but simply hardens the surface of the drift into a 

 crust which lasts for several weeks, and the birds 

 are imprisoned in consequence. Then little black 

 dots are seen about the surface of the drift, which 

 are the heads of penguins thrust through their 

 breathing holes. 



On one such occasion I witnessed an interesting 

 little incident. An imprisoned hen was poking 

 her neck up through her breathing hole when her 

 mate spied her and came up. He appeared to be 

 very angry with her for remaining so long on the 

 nest, being unable to grasp the reason, and after 

 swearing at her for some time he started to peck 

 at her head, she retaliating as far as her cramped 

 position would allow. When she withdrew her 

 head, he thrust his down the hole till she drove it 

 out again, and as this state of things seemed to be 

 going on indefinitely, I came up and loosened the 

 crust of snow which imprisoned her, on which she 

 burst out, and seemed glad to do so. She was 

 covered with mire, having for many days been 

 sitting in a pool of thaw water which had swamped 

 her nest and evidently spoilt the eggs. When 

 I put her back on the nest, she sat there for 

 some time, but eventually they both deserted. I 

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