﻿SOUTH 
  GEORGIA, 
  AN 
  OUTPOST 
  OF 
  THE 
  ANTARCTIC 
  

  

  437 
  

  

  KING 
  PENGUINS 
  ON 
  THEIR 
  NESTS 
  

  

  "These 
  are 
  the 
  hereditary 
  aristocrats 
  of 
  South 
  Georgia. 
  They 
  wear 
  gold 
  collars 
  around 
  

   their 
  necks, 
  and 
  on 
  land 
  deport 
  themselves 
  in 
  a 
  lofty 
  and 
  snobbish 
  manner." 
  

  

  the 
  old 
  bird 
  had 
  done. 
  The 
  father 
  alba- 
  

   tross 
  seemed 
  to 
  try 
  to 
  calm 
  his 
  baby. 
  He 
  

   bent 
  over 
  it 
  and 
  kept 
  touching 
  its 
  head 
  

   with 
  his 
  bill. 
  All 
  his 
  actions 
  showed 
  

   tenderness 
  and 
  pride 
  ; 
  I 
  never 
  saw 
  an- 
  

   other 
  bird 
  act 
  quite 
  so 
  much 
  like 
  a 
  hu- 
  

   man 
  parent. 
  

  

  When 
  I 
  took 
  the 
  youngster 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  

   nest 
  it 
  immediately 
  crawled 
  back, 
  in 
  spite 
  

   of 
  its 
  very 
  weak 
  legs. 
  The 
  instinct 
  to 
  lie 
  

   in 
  one 
  particular 
  spot 
  from 
  birth 
  until 
  

   flight 
  is 
  possible, 
  is 
  strongly 
  developed 
  in 
  

   this 
  species. 
  It 
  is 
  easy 
  to 
  understand, 
  on 
  

   once 
  visiting 
  the 
  sooty's 
  precarious 
  cradle, 
  

   that 
  natural 
  selection 
  could 
  not 
  fail 
  to 
  

   weed 
  out 
  all 
  restless, 
  fidgety 
  baby 
  alba- 
  

   trosses, 
  preserving 
  to 
  perpetuate 
  the 
  race 
  

   only 
  those 
  which 
  are 
  content 
  to 
  lie 
  low 
  

   and 
  wait. 
  

  

  THE 
  COURTSHIP 
  OE 
  THE 
  SHAGS 
  

  

  Down 
  below 
  the 
  eyries 
  of 
  the 
  sooty 
  

   albatrosses, 
  on 
  the 
  lower 
  ledges 
  of 
  South 
  

   Georgia 
  cliffs, 
  the 
  blue-eyed 
  shags 
  nest 
  in 
  

   populous 
  rookeries. 
  They 
  are 
  far 
  more 
  

   beautiful 
  birds 
  than 
  our 
  northern 
  cor- 
  

   morants, 
  having 
  iridescent 
  blue 
  - 
  green 
  

  

  backs 
  and 
  snowy 
  throats 
  and 
  breasts. 
  

   Moreover, 
  they 
  are 
  better 
  humored 
  ; 
  they 
  

   never 
  threw 
  up 
  the 
  fishy 
  contents 
  of 
  their 
  

   stomachs 
  at 
  me 
  when 
  T 
  climbed 
  to 
  their 
  

   nests, 
  or 
  attempted 
  to 
  bite 
  when 
  I 
  stroked 
  

   their 
  backs. 
  

  

  The 
  courtship 
  of 
  the 
  shags 
  goes 
  on 
  

   while 
  the 
  nest 
  is 
  building. 
  A 
  pair 
  stand 
  

   side 
  by 
  side, 
  put 
  their 
  cheeks 
  close 
  to- 
  

   gether, 
  and 
  bow 
  down 
  their 
  heads 
  and 
  

   necks. 
  Then, 
  twisting 
  their 
  heads, 
  they 
  

   put 
  the 
  other 
  cheeks 
  together 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  

   way 
  and 
  curtsey 
  again. 
  This 
  graceful 
  

   minuet 
  figure 
  is 
  repeated 
  for 
  some 
  time, 
  

   and 
  then 
  the 
  male 
  launches 
  off 
  on 
  a 
  short 
  

   ecstatic 
  flight, 
  from 
  which 
  it 
  returns 
  to 
  

   resume 
  the 
  love 
  dance. 
  

  

  After 
  the 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  greenish 
  eggs 
  

   have 
  been 
  laid, 
  the 
  shags 
  are 
  still 
  enrap- 
  

   tured 
  lovers, 
  remaining 
  together 
  at 
  the 
  

   nest 
  much 
  of 
  the 
  time, 
  caressing 
  one 
  an- 
  

   other 
  and 
  making 
  low 
  croaking 
  sounds 
  

   in 
  their 
  throats. 
  

  

  One 
  day 
  I 
  visited 
  a 
  nest 
  just 
  as 
  the 
  

   eggs 
  were 
  hatching. 
  While 
  I 
  was 
  inspect- 
  

   ing 
  a 
  naked, 
  black 
  shaglet 
  hardly 
  out 
  of 
  

   its 
  shell, 
  both 
  parents 
  stood 
  by 
  with 
  bills 
  

  

  