﻿428 
  

  

  THE 
  NATIONAL 
  GEOGRAPHIC 
  MAGAZINE 
  

  

  A 
  SOUTH 
  GEORGIA 
  TERN 
  STANDING 
  ABOVE) 
  ITS 
  SINGLE 
  EGG 
  

   The 
  eggs 
  and 
  young 
  of 
  gulls 
  and 
  terns 
  on 
  the 
  island 
  are 
  protected 
  by 
  obliterative 
  coloration. 
  

  

  ously 
  moving 
  about, 
  now 
  scratching 
  the 
  

   sides, 
  now 
  the 
  head, 
  which 
  is 
  inclined 
  

   downward 
  until 
  within 
  their 
  reach 
  ; 
  next 
  

   they 
  may 
  be 
  crossed 
  over 
  the 
  breast 
  in 
  

   order 
  that 
  one 
  flipper 
  may 
  be 
  scratched 
  

   by 
  the 
  other. 
  

  

  The 
  fingers 
  of 
  the 
  fore 
  flippers 
  are 
  very 
  

   flexible, 
  bending 
  when 
  employed 
  in 
  

   scratching 
  quite 
  like 
  human 
  fingers. 
  The 
  

   hind 
  flippers 
  are 
  now 
  and 
  then 
  spread 
  fan- 
  

   like 
  and 
  brandished 
  in 
  the 
  air, 
  or 
  rubbed 
  

   and 
  clasped 
  together 
  like 
  a 
  pair 
  of 
  clumsy 
  

   hands. 
  Awake 
  or 
  asleep, 
  they 
  are 
  fond 
  

   of 
  flinging 
  sand 
  or 
  mud 
  over 
  themselves 
  

   by 
  scooping 
  the 
  earth 
  backward 
  with 
  the 
  

   palmar 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  fore 
  flippers. 
  

  

  All 
  these 
  motions 
  often 
  go 
  on 
  while 
  the 
  

   brutes 
  are 
  in 
  such 
  total 
  oblivion 
  that 
  it 
  

   is 
  difficult 
  to 
  awaken 
  them. 
  I 
  have 
  tossed 
  

   a 
  handful 
  of 
  sand 
  into 
  the 
  wide-open 
  nos- 
  

   trils 
  of 
  a 
  restless, 
  sleeping 
  bull, 
  throwing 
  

   it 
  into 
  a 
  fit 
  of 
  coughing, 
  yet 
  it 
  did 
  not 
  even 
  

   open 
  its 
  eyes. 
  In 
  December 
  a 
  group 
  of 
  

   nine 
  half-grown 
  bulls, 
  which 
  I 
  was 
  care- 
  

   ful 
  not 
  to 
  alarm, 
  lav 
  sleeping 
  beside 
  a 
  

   stream 
  near 
  my 
  tent, 
  and 
  I 
  believe 
  none 
  

   of 
  them 
  moved 
  so 
  much 
  as 
  its 
  own 
  length 
  

   during 
  10 
  days, 
  although 
  they 
  roused 
  up 
  

  

  for 
  pugilistic 
  encounters 
  once 
  in 
  awhile 
  

   and 
  made 
  considerable 
  noise. 
  

  

  A 
  fight 
  between 
  two 
  old 
  "beachmas- 
  

   ters" 
  is 
  a 
  sight 
  to 
  remember. 
  The 
  huge 
  

   beasts 
  rear 
  up 
  on 
  their 
  bellies 
  to 
  a 
  height 
  

   of 
  eight 
  or 
  nine 
  feet 
  and 
  hurl 
  themselves 
  

   forward, 
  ripping 
  each 
  other's 
  thick- 
  

   skinned 
  necks 
  with 
  their 
  heavy 
  canine 
  

   teeth 
  and 
  emitting 
  their 
  curious 
  stran- 
  

   gled 
  bellow 
  between 
  the 
  clashes. 
  They 
  

   are 
  well 
  protected 
  by 
  a 
  breastplate 
  of 
  hide 
  

   an 
  inch 
  thick 
  ; 
  but 
  I 
  have 
  seen 
  many 
  bulls 
  

   with 
  old 
  scars 
  which 
  extended 
  clear 
  

   through 
  the 
  blubber 
  layer 
  on 
  the 
  shoul- 
  

   ders, 
  and 
  we 
  killed 
  one 
  big 
  animal 
  which 
  

   had 
  lost 
  a 
  large 
  portion 
  of 
  its 
  snout. 
  

  

  BIRD 
  ElElv 
  A 
  FASCINATING 
  STUDY 
  

  

  The 
  two 
  dozen 
  species 
  of 
  birds 
  which 
  

   breed 
  on 
  South 
  Georgia 
  offer 
  a 
  fascinat- 
  

   ing 
  field 
  for 
  the 
  study 
  of 
  certain 
  biologi- 
  

   cal 
  questions, 
  notably 
  the 
  struggle 
  for 
  ex- 
  

   istence. 
  The 
  titlark, 
  the 
  only 
  land 
  bird, 
  

   has 
  already 
  been 
  mentioned. 
  The 
  re- 
  

   maining 
  birds 
  belong 
  to 
  six 
  distinct 
  

   groups, 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  

  

  i. 
  Three 
  species 
  of 
  penguins, 
  of 
  which 
  

   one 
  is 
  rare. 
  

  

  