OKNITHOLOGY OF THE SCOTTISH NATIONAL 

 ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION. 



Section I. Introduction. 



By WILLIAM S. BRUCE, LL.D., F.R.S.E., 

 Director of the Scottish Oceanographical Laboratory, Edinburgh. 



THAT the ornithological results of the Scottish National Antarctic Expedition have 

 proved to be of considerable importance is because they were attained by the united 

 efforts of the officers and crew as well as the scientific staff of the Scotia. The keenest 

 observer on board, the one who would first detect a bird, not seen before, at a great 

 distance and be able to give a very exact description of its form and plumage, was our 

 second mate, the late Mr Robert Davidson. To him are due many of the excellent 

 records of the voyage. I spent many an hour on deck with Mr Davidson making notes 

 of birds that we observed together, and also notes of other birds he had seen during 

 his watch. Very often he would pass the word below that there was a new bird about 

 that we had not seen before, which brought the naturalists out on deck. To Mr D. W. 

 Wilton also great praise is due for his energy and pluck in being ever ready to be 

 lowered away in a boat in any sea a boat could live in. He was even ready, had he 

 been encouraged, to undertake many more risky boat expeditions than he did. Wilton 

 was usually accompanied by two seamen, and most often by the young Shetlander 

 Johnnie Smith. While the Scotia was lying during sounding, trawling, and vertical 

 tow-netting, and other operations, Wilton was almost always in the dinghy or gig 

 securing birds for the Scotia collections, and was responsible for many of the best 

 Scotia records. On one occasion, when the Scotia was trawling in one hundred 

 fathoms under the lee of Gough Island, Wilton got too far off the land and was 

 blown far out to sea in very rough weather, out of sight from the ship a venture 

 which, but for the seaworthiness and the skilful handling of the boat, and level-headed- 

 ness of Wilton and his companions, might have ended in disaster. He was quite 

 unconcerned, however, when we picked him up after the trawl came on board, and 

 with his gun had secured a large part of the fine collection of birds that we collected at 

 Gough Island. In winter quarters there were more chances for everybody, and during 

 the absence of the Scotia refitting at Port Stanley and Buenos Aires, Dr .1. H. Harvey 

 Pirie specially distinguished himself by plucky rock-climbing, making many valuable 

 additions of eggs and young to the Scotia collections. Dr R. N. Rudmose Brown 

 was also assiduous in his observations at various penguin rookeries, and he and Pirie 



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