﻿SOUTH 
  GEORGIA, 
  AN 
  OUTPOST 
  OF 
  THE 
  ANTARCTIC 
  

  

  431 
  

  

  A 
  GIANT 
  PETREL. 
  DEFENDING 
  ITS 
  YOUNG 
  

   This 
  bird 
  protects 
  itself 
  and 
  its 
  chick 
  by 
  throwing 
  the 
  unsavory 
  contents 
  of 
  its 
  crop 
  at 
  

  

  an 
  intruder. 
  

  

  meat 
  and 
  fat 
  off 
  the 
  penguin 
  skins 
  I 
  had 
  

   collected. 
  Once 
  I 
  had 
  35 
  skuas 
  hard 
  at 
  

   work 
  at 
  one 
  time. 
  They 
  fought 
  contin- 
  

   ually, 
  even 
  when 
  there 
  was 
  room 
  for 
  all, 
  

   and 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  old 
  champions 
  usually 
  

   monopolized 
  each 
  skin. 
  

  

  In 
  fighting 
  they 
  raised 
  their 
  wings 
  and 
  

   jumped 
  at 
  each 
  other 
  like 
  game 
  cocks, 
  

   except 
  that 
  they 
  did 
  not 
  employ 
  their 
  

   claws. 
  They 
  knocked 
  each 
  other 
  down 
  

   in 
  jolly 
  fashion 
  and 
  pulled 
  out 
  tufts 
  of 
  

   feathers, 
  the 
  battle 
  being 
  half 
  on 
  the 
  

   ground 
  and 
  half 
  in 
  air. 
  The 
  victor 
  al- 
  

   ways 
  raised 
  his 
  wings 
  and 
  screamed 
  be- 
  

   fore 
  returning 
  to 
  the 
  banquet 
  and 
  driving 
  

   off 
  the 
  birds 
  which 
  had 
  slipped 
  into 
  his 
  

   place 
  while 
  he 
  was 
  engaged. 
  

  

  If 
  one 
  bird 
  flew 
  away 
  with 
  a 
  scrap 
  of 
  

   meat 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  devour 
  it 
  elsewhere, 
  the 
  

   others 
  would 
  suspect 
  that 
  he 
  had 
  a 
  su- 
  

   perior 
  morsel, 
  and 
  immediately 
  the 
  whole 
  

   pack 
  would 
  leave 
  its 
  plenteous 
  repast 
  and 
  

   follow 
  the 
  fugitive, 
  who 
  was 
  sure 
  to 
  be 
  

   robbed 
  unless 
  he 
  could 
  contrive 
  to 
  gulp 
  

  

  down 
  his 
  billful 
  as 
  he 
  flew. 
  When 
  once 
  

   a 
  skua's 
  capacious 
  maw 
  was 
  filled, 
  it 
  

   would 
  draw 
  back 
  a 
  little, 
  squat 
  on 
  the 
  

   ground, 
  and 
  allow 
  its 
  rapid 
  digestion 
  to 
  

   fit 
  it 
  for 
  another 
  meal. 
  

  

  In 
  spite 
  of 
  their 
  cruel 
  and 
  wanton 
  dis- 
  

   positions, 
  the 
  skuas 
  have 
  a 
  spirit 
  of 
  bon 
  

   camaraderie 
  which 
  makes 
  one 
  love 
  them. 
  

   They 
  crowd 
  about 
  a 
  man 
  on 
  the 
  beaches 
  

   and 
  look 
  up 
  with 
  bright, 
  fearless, 
  unsus- 
  

   picious, 
  brown 
  eyes 
  ; 
  pick 
  up 
  the 
  scraps 
  

   that 
  are 
  thrown 
  to 
  them, 
  and 
  pay 
  no 
  more 
  

   attention 
  to 
  the 
  loudest 
  shouts, 
  hand- 
  

   claps, 
  or 
  whistles 
  than 
  if 
  they 
  were 
  stone- 
  

   deaf. 
  When 
  one 
  talks 
  to 
  them 
  in 
  a 
  low 
  

   voice, 
  however, 
  they 
  cock 
  their 
  heads 
  and 
  

   listen 
  with 
  an 
  interest 
  which 
  is 
  whimsical 
  

   to 
  see. 
  

  

  FIVE 
  METHODS 
  OE 
  DEFENSE 
  AGAINST 
  

   SKUAS 
  

  

  With 
  so 
  powerful 
  a 
  foe 
  as 
  the 
  skua, 
  it 
  

   is 
  obvious 
  that 
  all 
  other 
  South 
  Georgia 
  

   birds 
  must 
  have 
  some 
  definite 
  method 
  of 
  

  

  