ADELIE PENGUINS 



later on they would get dirty every time they 

 journeyed to or from the spot ? 



Not far from this island another mound rose 

 from the lake, but this was connected with the 

 " mainland " by a narrow neck of guano-covered 

 pebbles. This mound was covered with nests, 

 showing that the birds understood this place could 

 always be reached over dry land. Surely this was 

 well worth remarking. 



There was a part of the ice-foot on the south 

 side of the rookery where a track worn by many 

 ascending penguins could be seen, leading from the 

 sea-ice on to the beach. The place was steep and 

 the ice slippery, and, in fact, the track led straight 

 up a most difficult ascent. Not ten yards from 

 this weU-worn track a perfectly easy slope led up 

 from the sea-ice to the rookery. The tracks in the 

 freshly fallen snow showed that only one penguin 

 had gone up this way. Presumably the first 

 arrival in that place had taken the difficult path, 

 and all subsequent arrivals blindly followed in his 

 tracks, whilst only one had had the good luck or 

 independence to choose the easier way. 



On October 21 many thousands of penguins 

 arrived from the northerly direction, and poured 

 on to the beach in a continuous stream, the snaky 

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