566 DISCOVERY REPORTS 



After pairing has taken place and before incubation has started the courtship 

 ceremonies are even more elaborate than before (Plate XLIX). The nests are built 

 on the bases of those of the last season, which are now trodden down to about 

 half their full size. The female sits on the half-built nest and the male walks 

 around among the surrounding tussac picking up bits of peaty moss and mud. He 

 brings these to the female and deposits them on the edge of the nest and bows to her, 

 at the same time making a groaning sound. She returns the bow and groan to him 

 and then takes up the load of material which he has brought and arranges it on the 

 nest, shuffling around on half-bended legs to stamp it down with her large webbed 

 feet. The male then sits down on the ground close alongside the nest and makes a 

 vibrating bubbling noise in the throat several times, at the end of each call stretching 

 the head up and braying with the bill open. The female answers him, and then they 

 start nibbling the feathers of each other's throats, heads and necks. This is followed 

 by a further round of bubbling and braying and then the male gets up and goes to 

 fetch another load of nest-building materials. 



After every four or five loads that the male brings to the nest both sexes go through 

 a more passionate demonstration of affection. The male brings his load and deposits 

 it, and after bubbling and braying, and nibbling each other's heads and throats they 

 both stand up, and the female steps down off the nest. Facing each other they both 

 stretch up their heads and give a harsh bray with the bill widely open. Immediately 

 after the bray the bill is brought so that it points vertically downwards and is thrust 

 among the plumage of the breast (Plate XLIX, fig. 3). The bray is expiratory, and a 

 lower, inspiratory note is made while the bill is touching the breast. They then lean 

 forward together and touch the tips of each other's bills. After this they both keep the 

 neck bent forwards, and bend the head upwards slightly and vibrate the mandibles 

 very rapidly causing a peculiar rattling sound. The syrinx is not used in producing 

 this sound, which has a slight musical ring, rising from a low note to a high one during 

 its performance. This is owing to the increasing quickness of the vibrations and to 

 the filling of the lungs with air during the process so that the thorax acts as a sound-box. 



After these antics are repeated several times the male starts to walk sideways round 

 the female, working his head from side to side at each step, and the female steps around 

 without moving from her position so that she is facing him all the time. The male 

 spreads his wings widely, and pointing his head upwards repeats the vibration of the 

 mandibles (Plate XLIX, fig. 4). He next bends forward, doing it again, and the 

 female answers him (Plate XLIX, fig. 2), at the same time spreading her wings too. 

 They continue in this attitude stretching out and touching bills, then vibrating 

 (Plate XLIX, fig. i) and touching their own breasts with the tip of the bill twenty 

 times or more, after which pairing takes place and they return to the nest, the female 

 sitting down on it, and the male carrying on his work of collecting materials for it. 



The eggs are laid between the twentieth of December and the last day of the year, 

 Boxing Day being the regular day on which they are collected by the whalers for 

 eating. Each egg holds three-quarters of a pint of liquid ; they are very good eating, 



