ANTARCTIC CRUISE. 305 



penguin-rookery not far distant. On approaching the island, it had 

 appeared to be covered with white spots ; these excited conjecture ; 

 but after landing, the exhalations rendered it not long doubtful that 

 it was birdlime. 



Mr. Eld, in his journal, gives the following account of his visit : 

 " Although I had heard so often of the great quantity of birds on the 

 uninhabited islands, I was not prepared to see them in such myriads 

 as here. The whole sides of the rugged hills were literally covered 

 with them. Having passed a deep fissure in the rocks, I ascended a 

 crag that led to what I thought was their principal roost, and at every 

 step my astonishment increased. Such a din of squeaking, squalling, 

 and gabbling, I never before heard or dreamed could be made by any 

 of the feathered tribe. It was impossible to hear one's self speak. It 

 appeared as if every one was vying with his neighbour to make the 

 greatest possible noise. I soon found my presence particularly dis- 

 pleased them, for they snapped at me in all directions, catching hold 

 of my trousers, shaking and pinching my flesh so violently, as to 

 make me flinch and stand upon the defensive. As we wanted a 

 number of specimens, I commenced kicking them down the precipice, 

 and knocked on the head those which had the temerity to attack me. 

 After having collected a number, and a few eggs, I laid them aside, 

 whilst I ascended higher on the hill. I had not left them more than 

 eighteen feet, before two albatrosses came down, and commenced pick- 

 ing at the dead birds I had just killed, but not being able to make 

 any impression upon them, deliberately picked up two of the eggs 

 with their beaks, and in spite of my efforts to prevent it, flew away 

 with them. The eggs were about the size of a goose's ; the original 

 colour seemed to have been white, but they were so dirty that it was 

 difficult to say with certainty. They were no doubt the eggs of the 

 penguin, as I took them out of their nest, which was only a small 

 place scratched in the earth, just big enough to hold one or two eggs, 

 with little or no grass, sticks, or any thing else to form a nest of. I 

 afterwards picked up a number of these eggs, and another was found 

 of the size of a hen's egg, white, with a slight tinge of green. On 

 mounting still higher, which was very steep, and composed of vol- 

 canic rock, loose stones, and a little soil mixed with birdlime, I found 

 that there were more of these birds than I anticipated. The nests 

 were within two feet of each other, with one or two young ones in 

 each ; one of the old ones watching and sitting on the nest, whilst the 

 young were trying ineffectually to nestle themselves under the small 



vol. ii. 77 



