IS6 DISCOVERY REPORTS 



have inhabited the islands, even if they do not still do so, for Larsen stated in 1918^ that 

 American sealers once took 300 at the Sandwich Group. 



Whales. In recent years considerable numbers of Blue and Fin whales have been 

 taken near the South Sandwich Islands, but in 1929-30 no whalers were working in the 

 neighbourhood. At South Georgia and the other islands of the Falkland Dependencies, 

 whales — especially Blue whales — tend to be scarce in mild seasons when there is little 

 ice about. The catches at the South Georgia shore stations during this season were much 

 below the average, and the vessels of the pelagic whaling fleet were mostly operating far 

 to the east of the South Sandwich Group. A few whales, apparently Fin whales, were 

 sighted near the islands ; but Black-fish {Globicephala) and Black and White dolphins 

 {Cephalorhynchiis), both seen in the same season in South Georgia, were not observed. 



Birds. Birds are numerous on the islands. Penguins are especially abundant and 

 have built their rookeries in almost every suitable place. They will not nest on the 

 glacier itself, nor, doubtless because of the danger of falling ice, on the beaches beneath 

 it. In consequence they find much difficulty in establishing themselves on the more 

 heavily glaciated and precipitous islands: on some, such as Thule and Bristol, there are 

 only one or two small headlands which they can occupy, and they appear to be alto- 

 gether absent from Cook and Leskov. On islands where the warmth of the rock has 

 melted much of the snow they are particularly abundant, and on Bellingshausen it was 

 noticed that small groups had climbed the steep slopes of the cone, ascending almost 

 to the edge of the crater and to a height of at least 450 ft. above sea-level. 



The Antarctic or Ringed penguin (Pygoscelis antarcticd) is much the commonest 

 species, and Dr Marshall, who landed near a small rookery on Thule Island on March 7, 

 tells us that he found the young birds shedding their down coats. Gentoo and King 

 penguins (Pygoscelis papita and Aptenodytes patagonica) were seen on Zavodovski and 

 Saunders Islands. They probably occur on other islands also, but even with powerful 

 glasses it was difficult to identify the species of penguin from on board ship. Those 

 frequently seen on icebergs were invariably P. antarctica. Capt. J. Brown, who landed 

 a party on Zavodovski in 1830, reported that his men found five different species of 

 penguin, but he does not give their names. On this island Larsen found the Macaroni 

 penguin (Eudyptes chrysolophiis) in addition to those mentioned above. The Adelie 

 penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae) probably occurs, but was not recognized with certainty. 

 Mecking's statement- that the Emperor penguin (Aptetiodytes forsteri) occurs at the 

 islands in large numbers is certainly incorrect. 



The Cape pigeon (Daption capensis), known to some of the early voyagers as "the 

 Spotted Eaglet", is extremely abundant at most of the islands, but seemed to be less 

 common at the Southern Thule Group. Very frequently it was seen flying or swimming 

 with the Silver-grey fulmar (Priocella glacialoides), which is equally numerous. Both 



1 Report of the Interdepartmental Committee on Research and Development in the Dependencies of the 

 Falkland Isla?ids, Cmd. 657, p. 92 (1920). 



^ Mecking, in Nordenskjold and Mecking, "The Geography of the Polar Regions", Amer. Geogr. Soc, 

 Special Publication, No. 8, p. 318 (New York, 1928). 



