ANTARCTIC ADVENTURE AND RESEARCH 



state. Fourteen was apparently its unlucky number, for 

 the animal appeared to have been choked in an endeavor 

 to swallow another seal. They are a constant menace 

 to the penguins and seals, especially in the pack ice or 

 bay ice, and many of the crab-eater seals are marked 

 with terrible scars as the result of the Orcas' attacks. 



Undoubtedly they attempt to shake the seals off 

 the floes into the sea, and on several occasions men 

 in our expedition were attacked in the same way. For 

 instance, early in January, 191 1, just as we were un- 

 loading the ship eight killer-whales attempted to cap- 

 ture some of our dogs who were loose on the ice. 

 Pouting was taking photographs of the killers, and 

 ventured too near them in his enthusiasm. He nar- 

 rates that they lifted their wicked heads above water 

 to look at him, and he was just pressing the button 

 when he felt as if an earthquake had hit him. The 

 whole floe was being broken away, and he was drifting 

 from the firm ice. He lost some valuable equipment, 

 and did not stop for the photo! A similar incident, 

 but luckily not so exciting, happened to me in the bay 

 ice off the Ferrar Glacier ; the men rescuing the ponies 

 who were adrift on the floe on March ist near the 

 Barrier were closely surrounded by eighteen of these 

 predatory brutes. 



Two other dolphins are not uncommon on the edges 

 of the pack ice. One of these is called the Dusky 

 Dolphin from its dark brown back; while the other 

 has a white hourglass on its side, but has not yet been 

 properly investigated. 



Of the real whales, the rorqual is fairly common, 



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