BIOLOGY 



They are quite unsuspicious and slow to take alarm, so 

 long as you stay still or move very slowly. If you walk 

 too fast among them, or if you touch them, they get 

 frightened and run away, only fighting when closely 

 pressed. As one slowly retreats, fighting, he has a ludi- 

 crous resemblance to a small boy being bullied by a big 

 one, his flipper towards the foe elevated in defence, and 

 making quick blows at the bully. It is well to keep clear 

 of that flipper when he strikes, for it is very powerful, 

 and might break an arm. 



Emperors were killed by the dogs, but it is likely that 

 they hunted in couples or in parties to do this. A long 

 fight was witnessed between an Emperor and the dog 

 Ambrose, the largest of our dogs native to the Antarctic. 

 The penguin was quick enough in movement to keep 

 always facing the dog, and the flipper and long sharp 

 bill were efficient weapons, as Ambrose seemed to appre- 

 ciate. Only the bill was used, and it appeared to be due to 

 short sight that the blow always fell short. Many of the 

 apparently stupid acts of both kinds of penguins are 

 doubtless to be traced to their very defective sight in air. 



The Emperor can hardly be said to migrate since he 

 remains to breed during the winter darkness, and spends 

 the summer among the ice or on shore in the same region. 

 Yet he travels a good deal, and the meaning of some of 

 his journeyings remains a mystery. The visits of touring- 

 parties to the camp have been described. At the same 

 season (early summer), when the motor-car was making 

 frequent journeys southward to Glacier Tongue with 

 stores for depot laying, we crossed on the way a great 

 many penguin tracks. Many of these were beaten roads, 

 where large parties had passed, some walking, some tobog- 

 ganing. They all trended roughly to the south-east, and 

 the wing marks and footmarks showed that they were all 



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