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  THE 
  NATIONAL 
  GEOGRAPHIC 
  MAGAZINE 
  

  

  FERAL, 
  HORSES 
  OF" 
  CUMBERLAND 
  BAY 
  

  

  These 
  are 
  the 
  offspring 
  of 
  animals 
  left 
  on 
  South 
  peorgia 
  by 
  a 
  German 
  Antarctic 
  Expedition. 
  

   There 
  are 
  no 
  indigenous 
  terrestrial 
  mammals 
  on 
  the 
  island. 
  

  

  for 
  sea-elephants 
  of 
  all 
  sizes 
  to 
  "haul 
  up." 
  

   The 
  western 
  end 
  of 
  this 
  beach, 
  below 
  the 
  

   site 
  of 
  my 
  camp, 
  was 
  covered 
  with 
  hum- 
  

   mocks 
  of 
  tussock 
  grass 
  and 
  a 
  dense 
  

   growth 
  of 
  "Kerguelen 
  tea" 
  (Accena), 
  the 
  

   other 
  three-quarters 
  being 
  a 
  stretch 
  of 
  

   fine 
  shingle, 
  nearly 
  bare 
  of 
  vegetation 
  and 
  

   inclosing 
  four 
  ponds, 
  or 
  chains 
  of 
  ponds, 
  

   which 
  were 
  fed 
  by 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  innumer- 
  

   able 
  glacial 
  streams 
  that 
  cross 
  it. 
  

  

  During 
  December 
  about 
  250 
  sea-ele- 
  

   phants 
  were 
  summering 
  on, 
  various 
  parts 
  

   of 
  this 
  beach, 
  and 
  even 
  after 
  the 
  sealers 
  

   had 
  sent 
  these 
  the 
  sad 
  way 
  of 
  their 
  fore- 
  

   fathers, 
  whose 
  bones 
  lay 
  scattered 
  far 
  

   and 
  wide, 
  others 
  came 
  up 
  from 
  time 
  to 
  

   time. 
  

  

  When 
  we 
  first 
  arrived 
  groups 
  of 
  the 
  

   animals 
  were 
  occupying 
  three 
  different 
  

   types 
  of 
  lairs, 
  namely, 
  the 
  depressions 
  or 
  

   troughs 
  between 
  the 
  tussock 
  hummocks, 
  

   grassy 
  places 
  on 
  the 
  banks 
  of 
  the 
  streams 
  

   and 
  fresh-water 
  ponds, 
  and 
  pockets 
  of 
  

   stagnant, 
  fluid 
  mud 
  around 
  the 
  edges 
  of 
  

   the 
  terminal 
  moraine 
  behind 
  the 
  beach- 
  

   plain. 
  Each 
  cluster 
  of 
  sea-elephants 
  lay 
  

  

  as 
  closely 
  together 
  as 
  possible 
  during 
  the 
  

   daytime, 
  and 
  all 
  the 
  lairs 
  had 
  a 
  strong 
  

   swinish 
  smell. 
  

  

  The 
  younger 
  animals 
  of 
  the 
  groups 
  

   near 
  the 
  ponds 
  entered 
  the 
  water 
  more 
  or 
  

   less 
  and 
  indulged 
  in 
  many 
  fights 
  there; 
  

   those 
  in 
  the 
  mud-holes 
  lay 
  engulfed 
  to 
  

   the 
  eyes 
  and 
  seemed 
  to 
  wallow 
  thus 
  for 
  

   days 
  at 
  a 
  time. 
  At 
  night 
  all 
  were 
  noisiest 
  

   and 
  most 
  active, 
  some 
  roving 
  about, 
  for 
  

   in 
  the 
  morning 
  T 
  often 
  found 
  their 
  broad 
  

   tracks 
  winding 
  across 
  the 
  pebbly 
  plain 
  

   and 
  sometimes 
  leading 
  a 
  mile 
  from 
  the 
  

   bay. 
  

  

  SEA-ELEPHANTS 
  ON 
  LAND 
  MOVE 
  LIKE 
  

   INCH-WORMS 
  

  

  On 
  a 
  level 
  surface 
  sea-elephants 
  can 
  

   bob 
  along 
  faster 
  than 
  a 
  man 
  can 
  walk, 
  

   but 
  pauses 
  for 
  rest 
  are 
  made 
  at 
  short 
  in- 
  

   tervals. 
  Their 
  mode 
  of 
  progression 
  has 
  

   been 
  well 
  likened 
  to 
  that 
  of 
  an 
  inch- 
  

   worm, 
  yet 
  when 
  in 
  a 
  hurry 
  they 
  arch 
  the 
  

   spine 
  and 
  jerk 
  forward 
  the 
  pectoral 
  flip- 
  

   pers 
  with 
  such 
  rapidity 
  that 
  their 
  result- 
  

   ing 
  gait 
  might 
  almost 
  be 
  called 
  a 
  gallop. 
  

  

  