1902] LIFE IN THE PACK 91 



with its dainty snow-white plumage, relieved only by black 

 beak and feet and black, beady eye. These charming little 

 birds are everywhere in the pack-ice, capturing for their food 

 the small crustaceans which the sea washes over the surface 

 and into the caves of the worn floes. 



The squawk of the penguin was constantly heard, at first 

 afar and often long before the birds were seen ; curiosity drew 

 them to the ship, and suddenly their small figures appeared on 

 a floe at some distance, only to skurry across and leap into the 

 water on the near side, when with what seemed extraordinary 

 rapidity they bobbed up again, shooting out on to the surface 

 of some floe quite close to the ship. Here they paused and 

 gazed at us with open-eyed astonishment, occasionally uttering 

 a prolonged call, apparently to attract any of their fellows that 

 might be in the neighbourhood. As the ship forced her way 

 onward, these merry little companions would again and again 

 leap into the water, journeying from floe to floe in their effort 

 to find out what it all meant. Some of the sailors grew very 

 expert in imitating their call, and could not only attract them 

 from a long distance, but would visibly add to their astonish- 

 ment when they approached. 



In all parts of the pack seals are plentiful and spend long 

 hours asleep stretched out on the floes. The commonest 

 kind is the crab-eater or white seal, but the shorter species, the 

 Ross seal, is not infrequently met with ; whilst here and there 

 is found the sea leopard, ranging wide and preying on the 

 penguins, or even on the young of its less formidable brethren. 

 It is curious to observe that both seals and penguins regard 

 themselves as safe when they are out of the water. In the sea 

 they gain their livelihood as best they can with the chance of 

 being snapped up by each other or by the voracious killer 

 whale, and in that element Nature has made them swift and 

 alert to prey or to avoid being preyed on. But once on the 

 ice or on land they have known no enemy, and can therefore 

 conceive none. The seal raises his head only on your near 

 approach, and then with but little alarm, whereas it is often 

 difficult to drive the penguin into the water ; even when chased 



