﻿SOUTH 
  GEORGIA, 
  AN 
  OUTPOST 
  OF 
  THE 
  ANTARCTIC 
  

  

  435 
  

  

  the; 
  disappointed 
  suitor 
  

  

  After 
  the 
  female 
  bird 
  has 
  made 
  her 
  choice 
  from 
  among 
  several 
  albatross 
  admirers, 
  the 
  

   rejected 
  swains 
  walk 
  away 
  with 
  heads 
  swaying 
  from 
  side 
  to 
  side 
  and 
  hung 
  almost 
  to 
  the 
  

   ground. 
  "They 
  have 
  a 
  diabolical 
  look, 
  like 
  the 
  outwitted 
  villain 
  in 
  a 
  melodrama" 
  (see 
  text, 
  

   page 
  434). 
  

  

  dering 
  albatross, 
  like 
  its 
  inferior 
  copy, 
  the 
  

   airplane, 
  must 
  have 
  starting 
  room. 
  The 
  

   huge 
  bird 
  sets 
  its 
  wings, 
  runs 
  rapidly 
  

   down 
  a 
  slope, 
  and 
  presently 
  glides 
  off 
  the 
  

   sluggish 
  earth 
  into 
  its 
  own 
  living 
  ele- 
  

   ment, 
  and 
  then 
  only 
  can 
  its 
  full 
  grandeur 
  

   be 
  appreciated. 
  

  

  THE 
  SOOTY 
  ALBATROSS 
  IS 
  THE 
  PERFECTION 
  

   OE 
  GRACE 
  

  

  Of 
  different 
  habits 
  is 
  the 
  sooty 
  alba- 
  

   tross 
  (Phcebetria 
  palpebrata), 
  a 
  dark- 
  

   colored 
  species 
  which 
  reaches 
  the 
  very 
  

   pinnacle 
  of 
  perfection 
  in 
  flight, 
  exceed- 
  

   ing 
  in 
  grace 
  even 
  its 
  larger 
  relatives. 
  

  

  The 
  sooty 
  albatrosses 
  nest 
  on 
  perilous 
  

   ledges 
  wherever 
  mountainous 
  headlands 
  

   rise 
  abruptly 
  from 
  the 
  sea, 
  and 
  while 
  one 
  

   parent 
  is 
  covering 
  the 
  egg, 
  the 
  other 
  may 
  

   often 
  be 
  seen 
  sailing, 
  with 
  inspiring, 
  

   effortless 
  motion, 
  back 
  and 
  forth, 
  back 
  

   and 
  forth, 
  always 
  passing 
  close 
  to 
  its 
  

   nest 
  and 
  gazing 
  with 
  a 
  white-ringed 
  eye 
  

   at 
  its 
  quiet 
  mate. 
  

  

  I 
  saw 
  plenty 
  of 
  nests, 
  crowded 
  against 
  

   the 
  rough 
  faces 
  of 
  sheer 
  cliffs, 
  as 
  high 
  

   as 
  700 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  sea, 
  but 
  during 
  

  

  nearly 
  four 
  months* 
  search 
  I 
  found 
  only 
  

   three 
  that 
  a 
  man 
  could 
  possibly 
  have 
  

   reached. 
  Two 
  of 
  these 
  were 
  in 
  Sea- 
  

   Leopard 
  Fjord, 
  Bay 
  of 
  Isles. 
  One 
  nest 
  

   was 
  within 
  100 
  feet 
  of 
  the 
  beach; 
  the 
  

   other 
  about 
  12 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  first, 
  and 
  

   both 
  sheltered 
  by 
  an 
  overhanging 
  rock 
  

   wall. 
  

  

  # 
  On 
  January 
  20 
  I 
  clambered 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  

   lower 
  site 
  with 
  a 
  camera. 
  The 
  male 
  

   parent, 
  which 
  was 
  brooding 
  a 
  downy 
  

   chick, 
  grunted 
  softly 
  and 
  snapped 
  his 
  bill 
  

   with 
  a 
  hollow 
  chop. 
  He 
  was 
  compara- 
  

   tively 
  trustful, 
  however, 
  and 
  when 
  I 
  had 
  

   backed 
  away 
  about 
  six 
  feet 
  (as 
  far 
  as 
  the 
  

   ledge 
  would 
  allow) 
  he 
  snuggled 
  down 
  

   and 
  began 
  unconcernedly 
  to 
  draw 
  blades 
  

   of 
  grass 
  through 
  his 
  bill, 
  now 
  and 
  then 
  

   glancing 
  at 
  me 
  with 
  a 
  solemn, 
  wide-eyed 
  

   expression 
  caused 
  by 
  his 
  curious, 
  broken, 
  

   orbital 
  ring 
  (see 
  page 
  433). 
  

  

  Presently 
  the 
  youngster 
  stuck 
  its 
  head 
  

   out 
  from 
  beneath 
  its 
  sire. 
  It 
  looked 
  like 
  

   a 
  nestling 
  vulture 
  because 
  the 
  feathers 
  on 
  

   the 
  head 
  were 
  very 
  short, 
  while 
  long 
  

   down 
  covered 
  the 
  rest 
  of 
  its 
  body. 
  It 
  

   snapped 
  its 
  soft 
  little 
  bill 
  at 
  me 
  just 
  as 
  

  

  