216 British Antarctic Expedition. 
penguin family ; whilst one kept the old ones away 
the other took the young one. The penguins were 
considerably more afraid of the skua gulls than they 
PROMISE OF SPRING, 
were of us, although we gradually utilised the flesh of 
many of them for food. The flesh of the penguin 
was rather good, especially as we prepared it in the 
main camp, where we first boiled it, whereby it lost a 
good deal of the blubbery taste, and afterwards 
roasted it. When served on our wooden table under 
the name of “ptarmigan” it was considerably 
improved as an edible. 
Of the King Penguin (Aptenodytes Pennanti) we 
did not see any. 
I think it would be very wise as well as interesting 
if the next Expedition took out an incubator. We 
took the temperatures of the penguins while they 
were sitting, and I do not doubt that with care some 
