﻿424 
  

  

  THE 
  NATIONAL 
  GEOGRAPHIC 
  MAGAZINE 
  

  

  THE 
  FULL-MOON 
  COUNTENANCE 
  OF 
  A 
  YOUNG 
  BULL 
  SEA-ELEPHANT 
  

  

  The 
  necks 
  and 
  breasts 
  of 
  these 
  ungainly 
  looking 
  beasts 
  are 
  covered 
  with 
  an 
  armor 
  of 
  

   hide 
  an 
  inch 
  thick. 
  They 
  are 
  a 
  contentious 
  tribe, 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  older 
  animals 
  bearing 
  scars 
  

   extending 
  through 
  the 
  blubber 
  layers 
  on 
  the 
  shoulders 
  as 
  reminders 
  of 
  mating-season 
  battles. 
  

  

  the 
  Arctic, 
  is 
  inhabited 
  by 
  more 
  than 
  20 
  

   species 
  of 
  land 
  birds, 
  yet 
  South 
  Georgia, 
  

   in 
  the 
  possession 
  of 
  its 
  lone 
  titlark, 
  is 
  

   richer 
  than 
  the 
  Crozets 
  or 
  Kerguelen 
  

   Land 
  or 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  other 
  snow-covered 
  

   austral 
  islands. 
  Twenty-three 
  species 
  of 
  

   breeding 
  water 
  birds 
  and 
  three 
  species 
  of 
  

   seals 
  complete 
  the 
  list 
  of 
  native 
  verte- 
  

   brates 
  which 
  spend 
  part 
  of 
  their 
  existence 
  

   on 
  land. 
  An 
  earthworm 
  (Acanthrodilus) 
  

   is 
  common, 
  and 
  there 
  are 
  several 
  forms 
  

   of 
  rock 
  spiders, 
  a 
  mite 
  (Bdclla), 
  and 
  a 
  

   tick 
  infesting 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  birds. 
  

  

  The 
  insects 
  comprise 
  parasitic 
  fleas; 
  

   small 
  beetles 
  of 
  the 
  genus 
  Hydromcdion, 
  

   closely 
  related 
  to 
  our 
  "meal-worm" 
  

   beetles; 
  large 
  sluggish 
  flies, 
  which 
  breed 
  

   in 
  damp 
  seaweed 
  along 
  the 
  drift 
  line; 
  

   minute 
  wingless 
  flies 
  ; 
  ephemeral 
  May- 
  

   flies, 
  which 
  swarm 
  over 
  the 
  tussock 
  grass 
  

   after 
  thaws; 
  and 
  acrobatic 
  "springtails," 
  

   or 
  Collembola. 
  

  

  The 
  springtails 
  (Isotoma) 
  swarm 
  by 
  

   inconceivable 
  millions 
  in 
  the 
  dark, 
  loose, 
  

   vegetal 
  mold 
  among 
  the 
  tussock 
  stalks. 
  

   I 
  used 
  to 
  collect 
  them 
  by 
  placing 
  a 
  saucer 
  

   of 
  alcohol 
  on 
  the 
  soil, 
  and 
  the 
  marvelous 
  

  

  little 
  skippers, 
  leaping 
  pell-mell 
  hundreds 
  

   of 
  times 
  the 
  length 
  of 
  their 
  tiny 
  bodies, 
  

   would 
  shower 
  down 
  invisibly 
  into 
  the 
  

   saucer 
  as 
  if 
  they 
  were 
  spontaneous 
  crea- 
  

   tions 
  of 
  the 
  atmosphere. 
  

  

  A 
  TEEMING 
  MARINE 
  LlEE 
  

  

  The 
  abundance 
  of 
  the 
  marine 
  life 
  is 
  in 
  

   marked 
  contrast 
  to 
  the 
  scanty 
  terrestrial 
  

   fauna 
  and 
  flora. 
  Red, 
  green, 
  and 
  brown 
  

   algae, 
  starfishes 
  and 
  sea-cucumbers, 
  jelly- 
  

   fishes, 
  shells, 
  squids, 
  and 
  ' 
  innumerable 
  

   crustaceans 
  thickly 
  people 
  the 
  fjords. 
  

  

  Pelagic 
  shrimps, 
  upon 
  which 
  the 
  whales 
  

   and 
  penguins 
  feed, 
  travel 
  in 
  dense 
  shoals, 
  

   while 
  close 
  along 
  shore 
  the 
  giant 
  kelp, 
  

   that 
  longest 
  of 
  sea 
  plants, 
  harbors 
  among 
  

   its 
  50-fathom 
  branches 
  an 
  aggregation 
  of 
  

   living 
  creatures 
  more 
  varied 
  and 
  abundant 
  

   than 
  any 
  inhabiting 
  forests 
  of 
  the 
  upper 
  

   world. 
  

  

  When 
  the 
  ocean 
  is 
  calm 
  and 
  the 
  sun 
  

   peeps 
  through 
  the 
  clouds, 
  sending 
  a 
  shaft 
  

   of 
  light 
  down 
  into 
  the 
  green 
  obscurity 
  of 
  

   the 
  bays, 
  the 
  water 
  may 
  be 
  seen 
  to 
  be 
  

   literally 
  filled 
  with 
  minute 
  transparent 
  

   things, 
  which 
  constitute 
  the 
  so-called 
  

  

  