February 20, 21, 1963 
XIV 
Welchness, Dundee Island. 
Here we have acres of snow-free land, enough or almost enough to 
set up a second McMurdo, hut the place apparently has been taken over by 
the Argentines, judging from buildings, survey stakes, and tractor tracks. 
Landing with or from the LCVP was troublesome, beached ice-cakes 
lined the shores of the peninsula or spit that forms the major part of 
X 0 ^ 
Cape Welchness seaward as well as windward sides. 
Ashore we covered the open, more or less level, snow-free land from 
SCCU'Jy 
one side of the peninsula to the other. Found only sandy and scattered 
small patches of moss. Apparently few birds about, other than a small 
flock or group of terns where the peninsula met the ice cliffs on the 
windward side, none of the birds seen were nestings Gentoo penguins were 
few and far between; a Dominican gull or two was flying about, more were 
"roosting" on an ice cake just off shore. Standing on a small hillock 
was a Skua and her nearly mature chick, but no others in the air at the 
time. The garbage dumped from the ship always brought more birds around 
than we saw on, or over land, excepting, of course, penguins. 
Some live seals, not many, were lying on the beaches, more were 
farther out on ice cakes, but well inland, and scattered far and wide 
over the whole area were 20 or 30 (perhaps more) remains of dead seals,-- 
I would judge adolescent or half-grown -- may have been younger. The skin, 
and the bones within it were about all that was left; heads seemed to 
have been picked clean. Tne cause of death - I find it difficult to be¬ 
lieve that they could have been stillborn young -- were much too large. 
A forenoon and afternoon dredge haul were combined and treated as 
one- were made in 30 fms. at the ship's anchorage, mud bottom. As on 
#53-63 
