﻿SOUTH 
  GEORGIA, 
  AN 
  OUTPOST 
  OF 
  THE 
  ANTARCTIC 
  

  

  439 
  

  

  the: 
  king 
  penguin 
  of 
  moth-eaten 
  plumage 
  is 
  moulting 
  

  

  "After 
  the 
  nesting 
  season 
  is 
  over 
  the 
  adults 
  undergo 
  their 
  annual 
  change 
  of 
  clothes, 
  and 
  

   for 
  a 
  time 
  they 
  have 
  a 
  very 
  ragged 
  appearance, 
  the 
  old, 
  worn-out 
  feathers 
  coming 
  off 
  in 
  

   patches, 
  like 
  the 
  hair 
  of 
  a 
  shedding 
  buffalo" 
  (see 
  text, 
  page 
  440). 
  

  

  chick 
  consequently 
  being 
  much 
  larger 
  

   than 
  the 
  other 
  during 
  the 
  whole 
  period 
  of 
  

   growth. 
  Many 
  of 
  the 
  nests 
  I 
  visited 
  con- 
  

   tained 
  only 
  one 
  young 
  bird, 
  the 
  skuas 
  

   having 
  accounted 
  for 
  the 
  other 
  perhaps 
  

   before 
  it 
  had 
  ceased 
  to 
  be 
  an 
  egg. 
  

  

  When 
  a 
  brooding 
  penguin 
  is 
  driven 
  

   from 
  its 
  eggs 
  or 
  young 
  nestlings, 
  it 
  lin- 
  

   gers 
  near 
  by, 
  trumpeting 
  loudly 
  until 
  the 
  

   disturbance 
  is 
  over 
  ; 
  then 
  it 
  examines 
  the 
  

   nest 
  very 
  minutely, 
  stooping 
  down 
  over 
  

   its 
  treasures 
  like 
  a 
  near-sighted 
  person, 
  

   and 
  scrutinizing 
  one 
  and 
  the 
  other 
  over 
  

   and 
  over 
  again. 
  When 
  satisfied 
  that 
  all 
  

   is 
  well 
  it 
  settles 
  down 
  contentedly. 
  

  

  The 
  parents 
  hiss 
  sharply 
  whenever 
  a 
  

   skua 
  approaches, 
  and 
  sometimes 
  they 
  

   even 
  rush 
  at 
  one 
  as 
  it 
  stands 
  evilly 
  watch- 
  

   ing 
  for 
  a 
  nest 
  to 
  be 
  momentarily 
  neg- 
  

   lected. 
  

  

  PENGUIN 
  

  

  AWKWARDNESS 
  

   IN 
  THE 
  SEA 
  

  

  VANISHES 
  

  

  Strangely 
  enough, 
  the 
  Johnny 
  penguins 
  

   often 
  locate 
  their 
  colonies 
  on 
  the 
  sum- 
  

   mits 
  of 
  bare 
  hills 
  long 
  distances 
  from 
  the 
  

   sea. 
  Every 
  day 
  they 
  trudge 
  back 
  and 
  

   forth 
  between 
  the 
  nest 
  and 
  feeding 
  

   ground, 
  along 
  well-worn 
  paths, 
  balancing 
  

   their 
  upright 
  bodies 
  by 
  thrusting 
  their 
  

  

  