ce 
Bibliography. 151 
consisted of masses closely packed, and of every variety of shape and 
size. ‘* The night was beautiful and every thing seemed sunk in sleep, 
except the sound of the distant and low rustling of the ice, that now 
and then met the ear.” Lat. 64° 11/8., variation 22° E. The water 
was of an olive green and there were some faint appearances of distant 
land. Barom. 29:20 inches; the air at 80° F.; water 32°. 
The Porpoise in obedience to orders made Macquarie Island, lat. 
54° 44’ S., to look out for signals from the other ships and to leave them 
inturn. A tremendous surf breaking upon a rock-bound reef, rendered 
landing all but impossible. Lieut. Eld and the quarter-master, by plung- 
ing into the breakers breast high, gained the shore and planted the sig- 
nals, although none were found. The island is a desolate, inhospitable 
region, inhabited only by birds, especially by penguins.* 
On the 11th and 12th, in lat. 61° 30’ S., long. 161° 5’ E. the first ice 
islands were seen ; newspapers could be read at midnight without artifi- 
cial light. 
Jan. 16 they descried the new continent, and the numerous proofs 
presented in detail in the narrative leave no doubt that the discovery was 
real and original; it is impossible within our limits to give the details of 
evidence ; mountains were seen in the distance, over the icebergs which 
were all light and brilliant, and in great contrast; the vicinity of land 
was indicated by the flight of birds, with whales and penguins. The 
Peacock sounded with 850 fathoms without finding bottom. The field 
ice is composed of a vast number of pieces, the smallest about six feet 
in diameter, the largest sometimes five to sixhundred. Most of them, 
* Mr. Eld found them in myriads, the entire sides of the rugged hills being 
covered with them. As he crossed a ravine and ascended towards their principal 
roost, his astonishment increased at every step. Such was the emulous din of bird 
voices that the human voice was scarcely audible. They appeared to be incensed 
at the stranger’s intrusion, and manifested their ire by snapping and biting both the 
trowsers and flesh, pinching it violently. 
As he wanted specimens, he began by kicking them down the precipice, and 
knocked his assailants on the head, and when he left them and a few eggs, in order 
to ascend the hill higher, two albatrosses having failed to make any impression on 
the dead birds, bore off two of the eggs in their beaks, although they. were of the 
size of those of a goose. These eggs, doubtless those of the penguin, were found 
in the nest, which was only a small hole in the earth, just large enough to hold an 
egg or two, “ with little or no grass, sticks or any thing else to form a nest of.” 
On a still higher hill of volcanic rock the nests, with a young one or two in each, 
were within two feet of each other. One of the parent birds kept watch on the 
nest while their young ones, resembling goslings covered with down, endeavored to 
nestle under their small wings. These penguins (the Eudyptes chrysocome) are 
from 16 to 20 inches high, breast white, back nearly black, the rest of a dark dun 
color, excepting the head, which has a graceful plume of four or five yellow feath- 
ers on each side of the head. They stand in rows like Lilliputian soldiers. There 
were also penguins without plumes, and green paroquets with a small red spot on 
the head. 
