74 



l-ENiaiN AND IvKEI-EK 



by these (luaint-looUiiig birds. A "rookery" 

 is generally 30 or 40 acres in extent, and 

 there are niinierons rookeries distributed over 

 the island. The "kmg" penguin is the giant 

 of the species, standing over 3 feet in height. 

 Penguins are exceedingly tame and inquisitive, 

 and will follow one about like a lot of \ ery big 

 donie.stic poultry. Sea elephants are to be met 

 «ith here, averaging from 12 feet to 20 feet in 

 length and 5 feet to 6 feet across the widest 

 part of the back. These great sluggish brutes 

 are not nearlj- so active as seals or sea. lions. 

 Mr. Hatch has succeeded in turning all this 

 hitherto useless material to good account, and 

 for years past has lieen boiling down count- 

 less thousands of penguins and sea elephants, 

 converting them into oil, chiefly for use by 

 rope and binding twine manufacturers. Mr. 

 Hatch talks of extending his energies to the 

 Auckland Isles, with a view of establishing 

 a sheep run there, so that these unknown 

 lands will all be occupied, and shipwrecked 

 mariners have more hope of succour than was 

 obtainai)le in years gone by. Mr. Hatch pos- 

 sesses a fine series of view's of jjcnguin life on 

 the Macquai'ies, and with a number of live 

 birds and sea elephants contemplates touring 

 the colonies. At a private view recently 

 given in Invercargill the pictures aroused 

 more than ordinary attention, and as an 

 intrinsic oljject-lesson such an entertaiinnent 

 has much to commend itself. The Auckland 

 Islands were discovered in August, 180(i, by 

 Captain Bristow, w'ho named them after Lord 

 Auckland, and formal possession was taken of 

 them in 1807- They are very mountainous, 

 the altituile of the ranges being from i>.")0 feet 

 in the north to 2,000 feet in the south. On 

 tlie rocky coast many wrecks have occurred, 

 the Inrirrttulfl, the <!r(iJ'loii, the OfmraJ ilranty 

 and the Dirry Voxtle, besiiles others of which 

 we know nothing. Many ti'aces of the wrecks 

 are still to be found there. The canoe 

 built by the survivors of the Dirrtj CanHt 

 — a wonderful example of perseverance and 

 patience — is yet to be seen, and inside the 



depot inscriptions tell of the sufferings 

 of the eight men. They were 91 days 

 on the island, ten of these without fire 

 or any food, save shell-fish, and across 

 a deep angry channel they could see 

 the depot at Erebus Cove, where were 

 food, fire, and clothes — beyond their 

 reach. The survivors were eventually 

 rescued by the timely arrival of Mr. 

 J. Hatch's schooner Atrartia. There 

 are many fine water-falls to be found 

 in the Auckland Islands, dashing over 

 the bold cliffs, and sometimes when a 

 high wind is blowing being dissipated 

 into spray before they can reach the 

 ground. Sea lions are here numerous 

 and comically unwieldy. Albatrosses 

 abound here, and the penguins, as a 

 steamer approaches, may l)e seen on 

 the rocks drawn up like a regiment of 

 soldiers. 



The Antipodes I.slands were the 

 resort of the Sydney sealers. They 

 rise al.-ruptly from the sea to a height 

 of 1,200 feet, with perpendicular cliffs 

 varying in altitude from 200 to 600 feet. 

 The island proper is about .S miles long. 





-:'fV'' ' 





r.\r:T of 



