I902] CAPE ADARE 99 



It was on this spit that the expedition sent forth by Sir 

 George Newnes, and commanded by Mr. Borchgrevink, spent 

 their winter in 1896, the first party to winter on the shores of 

 the Antarctic Continent. We came to anchor under its shelter 

 in 15^ fathoms, and soon had our boats ready to carry us to 

 the shore. 



We landed as best we could over the grounded floe-ice 

 which fringed the shore, and beyond which lay the level 

 plateau or beach of pebbled basalt, extending for about three- 

 quarters of a mile to the foot of the cliffs, which rose abruptly 

 with dark frowning aspect to a height of over 1,000 feet; a 

 few ponds of melted snow occupied the slight depressions in 

 the plateau, which elsewhere formed the nesting-place of count- 

 less thousands of Adelie penguins, and these small creatures 

 were not content with the beach, but had formed their nests 

 on the steep hillsides, even to a height of 1,000 feet. 



Members of the extended colonies were constantly moving 

 up and down on the regular beaten tracks, which lead from 

 the sea to their elevated nests ; they walked erect, and evidently 

 found it a most difficult and laborious task to climb the steeper 

 places. There can be little doubt that the occupants of the 

 highest nests must take considerably over an hour to make this 

 journey, and when it is considered that this is all waste time 

 out of their day's fishing, it is difficult to understand why they 

 should choose these very elevated positions. But we found 

 later on that there were far more of these penguin rookeries 

 than we supposed, and a little thought showed that a rookery 

 has certain requirements that are not often found in the 

 Antarctic Regions. It must have comparatively easy access to 

 the sea at a spot where the fast ice breaks early in the season, 

 and where the floating ice is not likely to pack. As long 

 stretches of the coastline are fringed by an ice-cliff, such places 

 are not too frequently met with, and I am inclined to think 

 that in most cases, if not in all, they are tenanted by colonies 

 of this pushing, energetic little penguin ; and it may be, there- 

 fore, that it is want of room alone that causes them to nest in 

 such apparently inconvenient places. 



