﻿SOUTH 
  GEORGIA, 
  AN 
  OUTPOST 
  OF 
  THE 
  ANTARCTIC 
  

  

  A 
  BULL 
  SEA-ELEPHANT 
  AND 
  A 
  NEW 
  BEDFORD 
  SEALER 
  

   The 
  man 
  is 
  preparing 
  to 
  kill 
  the 
  animal 
  with 
  his 
  lance. 
  

  

  The 
  respective 
  conditions 
  are 
  explained 
  

   in 
  a 
  general 
  way 
  by 
  Darwin 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  

   "On 
  the 
  northern 
  continent 
  the 
  winter 
  is 
  

   rendered 
  excessively 
  cold 
  by 
  the 
  radiation 
  

   from 
  a 
  large 
  area 
  of 
  land 
  into 
  a 
  clear 
  sky, 
  

   nor 
  is 
  it 
  moderated 
  by 
  the 
  warmth- 
  

   bringing 
  currents 
  of 
  the 
  sea; 
  the 
  short 
  

   summer, 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  is 
  hot. 
  In 
  

   the 
  Southern 
  Ocean 
  the 
  winter 
  is 
  not 
  so 
  

   excessively 
  cold, 
  but 
  the 
  summer 
  is 
  far 
  

   less 
  hot, 
  for 
  the 
  clouded 
  sky 
  seldom 
  allows 
  

   the 
  sun 
  to 
  warm 
  the 
  ocean, 
  itself 
  a 
  bad 
  

   absorbent 
  of 
  heat 
  ; 
  and 
  hence 
  the 
  mean 
  

   temperature 
  of 
  the 
  year, 
  which 
  regulates 
  

   the 
  zone 
  of 
  perpetually 
  congealed 
  under- 
  

   soil, 
  is 
  low." 
  

  

  AN 
  "OCEANIC" 
  CLIMATE 
  

  

  South 
  Georgia 
  has 
  an 
  oceanic, 
  as 
  op- 
  

   posed 
  to 
  a 
  continental, 
  climate; 
  it 
  is 
  under 
  

   the 
  continual 
  equalizing 
  influence 
  of 
  the 
  

   sea, 
  and 
  it 
  thoroughly 
  demonstrates 
  how 
  

   much 
  more 
  unfavorable 
  to 
  the 
  production 
  

   of 
  a 
  varied 
  flora 
  is 
  a 
  constantly 
  low 
  tem- 
  

   perature 
  than 
  seasonal 
  cold 
  of 
  the 
  severest 
  

   kind. 
  

  

  As 
  stated 
  previously, 
  South 
  Georgia 
  has 
  

   been 
  completely 
  glaciated 
  during 
  some 
  

   period 
  of 
  its 
  historv, 
  and 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  

  

  probability 
  that 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  higher 
  plants 
  

   have 
  existed 
  there 
  from 
  pre-Glacial 
  times. 
  

   Their 
  introduction, 
  by 
  wind, 
  drift, 
  or 
  

   birds, 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  since 
  the 
  last 
  ice 
  

   period, 
  and 
  if 
  we 
  allow 
  for 
  the 
  addition 
  

   of 
  two 
  species 
  in 
  each 
  thousand 
  years 
  we 
  

   have 
  sufficient 
  time 
  for 
  the 
  natural 
  trans- 
  

   portation 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  phanerogams 
  

   (flowering 
  plants). 
  

  

  To 
  consider 
  a 
  speculative 
  example, 
  the 
  

   fruits 
  of 
  Acccna 
  ad 
  sc 
  end 
  ens 
  (Captain 
  

   Cook's 
  "wild 
  burnet") 
  are 
  hooked, 
  so 
  that 
  

   the 
  seeds 
  may 
  have 
  been 
  carried 
  great 
  dis- 
  

   tances 
  by 
  ocean 
  birds, 
  or 
  by 
  seals 
  which 
  

   often 
  sleep 
  in 
  growths 
  of 
  this 
  plant. 
  

  

  Owing 
  to 
  the 
  same 
  oceanic 
  life 
  condi- 
  

   tions, 
  the 
  land 
  animals 
  of 
  South 
  Georgia 
  

   are 
  even 
  fewer 
  than 
  the 
  plants. 
  There 
  

   is 
  no 
  indigenous 
  terrestrial 
  mammal, 
  but 
  

   rats, 
  horses, 
  and 
  reindeer 
  have 
  been 
  in- 
  

   troduced 
  and 
  are 
  thriving 
  in 
  a 
  wild 
  state. 
  

   The 
  ra*ts 
  were 
  probably 
  first 
  brought 
  by 
  

   sealing 
  vessels 
  a 
  hundred 
  years 
  ago. 
  

  

  TITLARK 
  ONLY 
  

  

  LAND 
  BIRD 
  

   ISLAND 
  

  

  PECULIAR 
  TO 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  a 
  single 
  species 
  of 
  land 
  bird, 
  a 
  

   titlark 
  (Anthus 
  antarcticus) 
  , 
  peculiar 
  to 
  

  

  the 
  island. 
  Iceland, 
  on 
  the 
  threshold 
  of 
  

  

  