366 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Aprx. 



neighbours do not discriminate between the eggs and chickens of 

 their own and other species of bird, and find a young skua gull as 

 good to eat as a young Adelie penguin. 



The excessive mortality amongst the penguin chickens is due 

 without a doubt to the skua gulls, which were again and again 

 seen to attack and destroy them ; their eggshells, too, lay about in 

 hundreds, yet the penguins allow the skuas to nest and remain 

 unmolested in their very midst. 



The skuas were much annoyed if one appeared within sight of 

 their nests ; and while the sitting bird loudly and vehemently pro- 

 tested against such an unwarrantable intrusion, her mate would 

 make frequent dashes at the intruder's head — never, however, 

 touching him with the claws or bill, but frequently striking with 

 the wings. The chickens were able to run as soon as hatched, and 

 pecked their food for themselves from bits that were disgorged and 

 left in front of them by their parents. 



The birds were by no means shy, though easily frightened. 

 They would at times fly up and take a piece of blubber from the 

 hand, and often would attempt to remove a coat or belt or knife 

 sheath which had been carelessly thrown down while the owner 

 might be occupied in dealing with a seal. 



The skuas in our winter quarters lived on anything they could 

 find ; but under ordinary conditions, and when penguins' eggs and 

 chickens are not in season, they catch fish for themselves at sea or 

 chase the petrels that have fed themselves till they disgorge. The 

 skuas used to arrive in McMurdo Sound from the north at the 

 beginning of November. In a month the first eggs were laid, and 

 these were hatched at the beginning of January. About the end of 

 March the exodus was in full swing, and we saw no more of them 

 till the following year. 



The Adelie penguins, as I have said, are wont to collect in 

 enormous numbers at certain spots on the Antarctic coasts to 

 breed. Arriving at Cape Crozier during the latter half of October, 

 they spent about a fortnight in collecting pebbles for their nests. 

 They then laid two round white eggs, which were incubated in 

 turns by the male and female for upwards of thirty-two days, when 

 two little sooty-black chickens would appear, the one as a rule 

 rapidly growing to double the size of the other. 



The process of feeding during the early stage is managed 

 alternately by each of the parents, who take it in turns to protect 

 the nestlings and go to the sea for shrimps. But the time comes 



