﻿SOUTH 
  GEORGIA, 
  AN 
  OUTPOST 
  OF 
  THE 
  ANTARCTIC 
  

  

  425 
  

  

  A 
  ROARING 
  SEA-ELEPHANT 
  

  

  The 
  war-cry 
  of 
  this 
  animal 
  is 
  a 
  curious 
  strangled 
  bellow. 
  Even 
  in 
  his 
  sleep 
  he 
  is 
  noisy, 
  for 
  

   he 
  continually 
  emits 
  gasps 
  and 
  tremulous 
  wheezes, 
  as 
  if 
  afflicted 
  with 
  nightmare. 
  

  

  plankton. 
  There 
  are 
  no 
  fresh-water 
  

   fishes 
  at 
  South 
  Georgia. 
  The 
  marine 
  

   fishes 
  are 
  represented 
  by 
  only 
  a 
  few 
  spe- 
  

   cies, 
  but 
  these 
  are 
  exceedingly 
  abundant. 
  

  

  MAKING 
  THE 
  ACQUAINTANCE 
  OE 
  SEA- 
  

   ELEPHANTS 
  

  

  Within 
  a 
  few 
  days 
  after 
  our 
  arrival 
  at 
  

   South 
  Georgia 
  we 
  made 
  the 
  acquaintance 
  

   of 
  the 
  sea-elephants. 
  The 
  young, 
  known 
  

   to 
  sealers 
  as 
  "pups," 
  had 
  been 
  born 
  about 
  

   two 
  months 
  earlier 
  in 
  the 
  year. 
  The 
  

   mating 
  season 
  of 
  the 
  adults 
  had 
  followed, 
  

   and 
  during 
  November 
  herds 
  comprising 
  

   animals 
  of 
  all 
  ages 
  lay, 
  sleeping 
  and 
  fast- 
  

   ing, 
  in 
  the 
  tussock 
  grass 
  until 
  they 
  were 
  

   ready 
  to 
  go 
  to 
  sea 
  again, 
  which 
  most 
  of 
  

   them 
  did 
  by 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  December. 
  

  

  The 
  patriarchal 
  bulls, 
  whose 
  unwieldy 
  

   bulk 
  and 
  long 
  snouts 
  have 
  given 
  the 
  spe- 
  

   cies 
  its 
  common 
  name, 
  were 
  rather 
  scarce 
  

   in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Cumberland 
  Bay, 
  but 
  

   hundreds 
  of 
  huge 
  carcasses, 
  stripped 
  of 
  

   blubber 
  and 
  rotting 
  on 
  the 
  beaches, 
  were 
  

   constant 
  tokens 
  of 
  their 
  abundance 
  in 
  

   former 
  years. 
  

  

  Shortly 
  after 
  New 
  Year 
  sea-elephants, 
  

   rejuvenated 
  and 
  fattened 
  by 
  active 
  sea 
  

   life 
  and 
  a 
  diet 
  of 
  fish 
  and 
  squid, 
  began 
  

   to 
  return 
  to 
  the 
  land, 
  congregating 
  in 
  

   summer 
  colonies 
  behind 
  the 
  open 
  beaches. 
  

   The 
  females 
  came 
  first, 
  the 
  large 
  bulls 
  

   mostly 
  staying 
  in 
  the 
  sea 
  until 
  February. 
  

   During 
  the 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  February, 
  18- 
  

   foot 
  hulls 
  came 
  out 
  on 
  the 
  beaches 
  fre- 
  

  

  quently, 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  last 
  day 
  of 
  the 
  month 
  

   we 
  killed 
  a 
  gigantic 
  brute 
  which 
  meas- 
  

   ured, 
  from 
  snout 
  to 
  hind 
  flippers, 
  21 
  feet 
  

   4 
  inches, 
  or 
  almost 
  twice 
  as 
  much 
  as 
  a 
  

   walrus. 
  

  

  Female 
  sea-elephants 
  are 
  relatively 
  

   small, 
  seldom 
  exceeding 
  a 
  length 
  of 
  9 
  

   feet 
  and 
  a 
  weight 
  of 
  600 
  or 
  700 
  pounds. 
  

   They 
  lack 
  altogether 
  the 
  long 
  snout 
  of 
  

   the 
  male, 
  the 
  face 
  of 
  an 
  adult 
  female 
  

   rather 
  resembling 
  that 
  of 
  a 
  pug 
  dog. 
  

  

  SEA-ELEPHANTS 
  ARE 
  "BORN 
  EIGHTERS" 
  

  

  Sea-elephants 
  have 
  contentious 
  dispo- 
  

   sitions 
  and 
  are 
  given 
  to 
  fighting 
  among 
  

   themselves 
  from 
  earliest 
  puphood, 
  yet 
  

   fondness 
  for 
  company 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  their 
  

   marked 
  traits. 
  An 
  animal 
  coming 
  out 
  of 
  

   the 
  sea 
  is 
  obviously 
  not 
  contented 
  on 
  a 
  

   lonely 
  shore. 
  It 
  wanders 
  about 
  nervously 
  

   between 
  brief 
  resting 
  periods 
  and 
  soon 
  

   returns 
  to 
  the 
  water, 
  perhaps 
  feeling 
  that 
  

   it 
  must 
  find 
  some 
  one 
  to 
  quarrel 
  with. 
  

  

  A 
  sea-elephant, 
  when 
  landing, 
  crawls 
  

   slowly 
  up 
  the 
  strand, 
  stopping 
  to 
  let 
  the 
  

   waves 
  break 
  over 
  it 
  and 
  taking 
  advantage 
  

   of 
  every 
  swell 
  to 
  aid 
  its 
  progress. 
  When 
  

   it 
  has 
  reached 
  the 
  upper 
  beach 
  it 
  rises 
  to 
  

   its 
  full 
  height 
  and 
  reconnoiters 
  ; 
  then, 
  

   proceeding 
  a 
  little 
  farther, 
  it 
  repeats 
  the 
  

   action; 
  or, 
  if 
  it 
  spies 
  none 
  of 
  its 
  kind, 
  it 
  

   may 
  take 
  a 
  siesta 
  before 
  continuing 
  the 
  

   search. 
  

  

  The 
  large, 
  wind-swept 
  moraine 
  beach 
  

   in 
  the 
  Bay 
  of 
  Isles 
  was 
  a 
  favorite 
  place 
  

  

  