﻿422 
  

  

  THE 
  NATIONAL 
  GEOGRAPHIC 
  MAGAZINE 
  

  

  A 
  SEA-KLLPHANT 
  in 
  SHALLOW 
  WATER 
  

  

  place 
  on 
  earth 
  where 
  violent 
  gales 
  arise 
  

   more 
  unexpectedly 
  or 
  blow 
  with 
  more 
  

   terrific 
  force. 
  A 
  sustained 
  total 
  force 
  of 
  

   38.5 
  miles 
  per 
  hour 
  has 
  been 
  recorded 
  in 
  

   April 
  at 
  the 
  comparatively 
  sheltered 
  ob- 
  

   servatory 
  in 
  Cumberland 
  Bay, 
  while 
  the 
  

   velocity 
  of 
  the 
  maximum 
  gusts 
  has 
  been 
  

   estimated 
  at 
  140 
  miles. 
  

  

  Time 
  and 
  again 
  during 
  our 
  visit 
  the 
  

   Daisy's 
  anchors 
  were 
  heaved 
  up 
  from 
  15 
  

   fathoms 
  by 
  hours 
  of 
  toil, 
  only 
  to 
  have 
  a 
  

   gale 
  spring 
  up 
  unannounced, 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  

   chains 
  could 
  hardly 
  be 
  loosed 
  quickly 
  

   enough 
  to 
  renew 
  the 
  moorings. 
  

  

  The 
  light, 
  doldrum 
  airs 
  of 
  South 
  Geor- 
  

   gia 
  fjords 
  are 
  equally 
  treacherous. 
  I 
  have 
  

   seen 
  the 
  wind 
  shift 
  its 
  direction 
  90 
  de- 
  

   grees 
  in 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  10 
  minutes, 
  and 
  

   one 
  could 
  never 
  tell 
  when 
  a 
  furious 
  puff 
  

   would 
  whistle 
  through 
  a 
  mountain 
  pass 
  

   and 
  tear 
  up 
  waters- 
  sheets 
  from 
  the 
  sur- 
  

   face 
  of 
  the 
  bay 
  at 
  the 
  imminent 
  risk 
  of 
  

   driving 
  our 
  helpless 
  whale-boats 
  into 
  the 
  

   face 
  of 
  a 
  glacier 
  or 
  onto 
  a 
  rocky 
  islet. 
  

   Fortunately 
  we 
  came 
  through 
  the 
  whole 
  

   inclement 
  season 
  with 
  no 
  greater 
  loss 
  

   than 
  the 
  staving 
  of 
  two 
  boats 
  on 
  the 
  

   shingle 
  of 
  a 
  lee 
  beach, 
  the 
  crews 
  subse- 
  

   quently 
  spending 
  1<S 
  hours 
  exposed 
  to 
  the 
  

   fury 
  of 
  the 
  blizzard. 
  

  

  The 
  affinities 
  of 
  the 
  flora 
  are 
  in 
  the 
  

   main 
  with 
  the 
  South 
  American 
  continent; 
  

   to 
  a 
  lesser 
  extent 
  with 
  New 
  Zealand 
  and 
  

  

  the 
  eastern 
  subantarctic 
  islands. 
  The 
  

   plant 
  life 
  presents 
  a 
  transition 
  stage 
  be- 
  

   tween 
  the 
  Falkland 
  or 
  the 
  north 
  Fuegian 
  

   type 
  and 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  Antarctic 
  mainland. 
  

  

  PKW 
  PLANTS 
  ON 
  SOUTH 
  GEORGIA 
  

  

  The 
  most 
  abundant 
  and 
  conspicuous 
  

   plant 
  is 
  the 
  virile 
  tussock 
  grass 
  (Poa 
  

   fabcllata), 
  which 
  covers 
  much 
  of 
  the 
  

   lower 
  ground 
  and 
  straggles 
  up 
  the 
  hills 
  

   on 
  favorable 
  northern 
  exposures 
  to 
  a 
  

   height 
  of 
  nearly 
  T,ooo 
  feet. 
  

  

  The 
  individual 
  plants 
  of 
  the 
  tussock 
  

   grass 
  form 
  high, 
  circular 
  pedestals 
  or 
  

   hummocks. 
  The 
  stalks 
  attain 
  a 
  length 
  of 
  

   over 
  four 
  feet, 
  and, 
  according 
  to 
  Prof. 
  

   Carl 
  Skottsberg, 
  a 
  single 
  hummock 
  may 
  

   flourish 
  for 
  a 
  quarter 
  of 
  a 
  century 
  or 
  

   more. 
  The 
  other 
  grasses 
  of 
  South 
  Geor- 
  

   gia 
  are 
  inconspicuous. 
  

  

  The 
  extreme 
  paucity 
  of 
  this 
  treeless, 
  

   shrubless 
  vegetation 
  may 
  be 
  well 
  realized 
  

   by 
  comparing 
  South 
  Georgia 
  with 
  regions 
  

   in 
  high 
  northern 
  latitudes. 
  Labrador, 
  at 
  

   the 
  corresponding 
  parallel, 
  has 
  magnifi- 
  

   cent 
  forests. 
  Saltdalen, 
  Norway, 
  north 
  

   of 
  the 
  Arctic 
  Circle, 
  boasts 
  not 
  only 
  luxu- 
  

   riant 
  timber 
  land, 
  but 
  thriving 
  fields 
  of 
  

   hay 
  and 
  barley 
  as 
  well; 
  and 
  Melville 
  

   Land, 
  in 
  75 
  ° 
  north 
  latitude, 
  1,400 
  miles 
  

   nearer 
  the 
  Pole 
  than 
  South 
  Georgia, 
  has 
  

   about 
  70 
  species 
  of 
  flowering 
  plants 
  as 
  

   against 
  the 
  latter 
  isle's 
  15. 
  

  

  