﻿SOUTH 
  GEORGIA, 
  AN 
  OUTPOST 
  OF 
  THE 
  ANTARCTIC 
  

  

  42' 
  

  

  fir 
  

  

  if 
  

  

  ONE 
  OF 
  THE 
  CREW 
  OF 
  THF 
  DAISY 
  DIGGING 
  OUT 
  SPECIMENS 
  OF 
  PETRELS 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  laughable 
  to 
  see 
  a 
  fat 
  adult 
  bounce 
  

   along 
  at 
  full 
  speed, 
  with 
  head 
  jerking 
  up 
  

   and 
  down 
  and 
  ponderous 
  blubbery 
  sides 
  

   shaking. 
  The 
  hind 
  flippers 
  are, 
  of 
  course, 
  

   not 
  employed 
  for 
  travel 
  on 
  land, 
  but 
  are 
  

   merely 
  trailed. 
  

  

  Although 
  going 
  up 
  hill 
  is 
  necessarily 
  a 
  

   slow 
  and 
  painful 
  process 
  for 
  sea-ele- 
  

   phants, 
  they 
  are 
  nevertheless 
  ambitious 
  in 
  

   that 
  feat, 
  especially 
  on 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  coast 
  

   where 
  the 
  best 
  growths 
  of 
  tussock 
  grass 
  

   are 
  on 
  hillocks 
  near 
  the 
  shore. 
  Not 
  in- 
  

   frequently 
  we 
  found 
  herds 
  of 
  the 
  animals 
  

   on 
  the 
  summits 
  of 
  promontories 
  jo 
  or 
  80 
  

   feet 
  above 
  the 
  sea, 
  and 
  in 
  one 
  instance 
  

   much 
  higher, 
  atop 
  a 
  perpendicular 
  cliff, 
  

   which 
  they 
  had 
  surmounted 
  from 
  the 
  rear 
  

   by 
  clambering 
  up 
  an 
  adjacent 
  valley. 
  

  

  Later 
  the 
  seal 
  hunters 
  visited 
  this 
  place, 
  

   and 
  I 
  was 
  told 
  that 
  a 
  stampeded 
  cow 
  had 
  

   dashed 
  over 
  the 
  brink 
  of 
  the 
  cliff, 
  falling 
  

   more 
  than 
  100 
  feet 
  to 
  the 
  beach 
  below, 
  

   yet 
  she 
  scurried 
  right 
  into 
  the 
  sea 
  and 
  

   swam 
  away 
  vigorously. 
  

  

  When 
  in 
  the 
  water, 
  sea-elephants 
  re- 
  

   main 
  submerged 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  time, 
  pro- 
  

   gressing 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  wide, 
  sculling 
  

   sweeps 
  of 
  the 
  hind 
  flippers, 
  the 
  blades 
  of 
  

   either 
  limb 
  working 
  simultaneously. 
  It 
  

   is 
  astonishing 
  to 
  see 
  with 
  what 
  ease 
  their 
  

  

  huge 
  bodies 
  glide 
  through 
  the 
  dense 
  

   thickets 
  of 
  the 
  giant 
  kelp. 
  I 
  suspect 
  that 
  

   they 
  capture 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  their 
  food 
  among 
  

   the 
  tangles 
  of 
  the 
  kelp, 
  for 
  I 
  sometimes 
  

   found 
  small 
  rubbery 
  pieces 
  of 
  the 
  sea- 
  

   weed 
  in 
  their 
  stomachs. 
  

  

  SLEEPING 
  IS 
  THE 
  MAIN 
  BUSINESS 
  OF 
  LIFE 
  

  

  Sleeping 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  main 
  business 
  

   of 
  sea 
  - 
  elephants 
  during 
  the 
  summer 
  

   months. 
  They 
  sometimes 
  take 
  naps 
  in 
  

   the 
  coves 
  and 
  ponds, 
  either 
  at 
  the 
  sur- 
  

   face, 
  with 
  round 
  backs 
  just 
  awash, 
  or 
  

   else 
  down 
  near 
  the 
  bottom, 
  where 
  they 
  

   maintain 
  a 
  perfect 
  hydrostatic 
  balance. 
  

   Ashore 
  they 
  sleep 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  time, 
  

   usually 
  lying 
  belly 
  up, 
  and 
  they 
  often 
  re- 
  

   frain 
  from 
  breathing 
  for 
  considerable 
  

   periods 
  by 
  keeping 
  the 
  nostrils 
  tightly 
  

   closed, 
  just 
  as 
  though 
  they 
  were 
  under 
  

   water. 
  Still 
  more 
  often 
  they 
  make 
  use 
  

   of 
  one 
  nostril 
  only, 
  spreading 
  and 
  closing 
  

   it 
  with 
  each 
  breath, 
  while 
  the 
  other 
  re- 
  

   mains 
  shut 
  all 
  the 
  time. 
  

  

  A 
  sea-elephant's 
  sleep 
  is 
  suggestive 
  of 
  

   nightmare 
  or 
  a 
  guilty 
  conscience. 
  The 
  

   inspirations 
  of 
  the 
  breath 
  are 
  irregular 
  

   gasps, 
  the 
  expirations 
  tremulous 
  wheezes. 
  

   The 
  body 
  shakes 
  violently 
  from 
  time 
  to 
  

   time, 
  and 
  the 
  fore 
  flippers 
  are 
  ever 
  ncrv- 
  

  

  