Antarctic Penguins Part 6

It seemed to me then, that all the chivvying and preliminaries which they went through before entering the water, arose mainly from a desire on the part of each penguin to get one of its neighbours to go in first in order to prove whether the coast was clear or not, though all this manoeuvring was certainly taken very lightly, and quite in the nature of a game. This indeed was not surprising, for of all the animals of which I have had any experience, I think the Adelie penguin is the very bravest. The more we saw of them the fonder we became of them and the more we admired their indomitable courage. The appearance of a sea-leopard in their midst was the one thing that caused them any panic.

With dozens of these enemies about they would gambol in the sea in the most light-hearted manner, but the appearance of one among them was the signal for a stampede, but even this was invariably gone through in an orderly manner with some show of reason, for, porpoising off in a clump, they at once spread themselves out, scattering in a fan-shaped formation as they sped away, instead of all following the same direction.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 52. A SEA-LEOPARD'S HEAD (Page 87)]

As far as I could judge, however, the sea-leopards are a trifle faster in the water than the Adelies, as one of them occasionally would catch up with one of the fugitives, who then, realizing that speed alone would not avail him, started dodging from side to side, and sometimes swam rapidly round and round in a circle of about twelve feet diameter for a full minute or more, doubtless knowing that he was quicker in turning than his great heavy pursuer, but exhaustion would overtake him in the end, and we could see the head and jaws of the great sea-leopard rise to the surface as he grabbed his victim. The sight of a panic-stricken little Adelie tearing round and round in this manner was a sadly common sight late in the season.

Sea-leopards are no mean customers and should be treated with caution.

Commander Campbell and I used to hunt them from a little Norwegian pram (a species of dinghy) which we rowed quietly up and down close under the ice-foot, shooting at the sea-leopards with a rifle when we saw their heads above water.

One day we had an interesting little adventure. We had shot and killed one, a fine bull about ten feet long, which had sunk to the bottom in some five fathoms. Having just pulled away from him, we were about ten yards from the ice-foot, when another very large sea-leopard overtook us, swimming from the direction of the dead bull. It pa.s.sed under the pram, b.u.mping against the keel in doing so. When about ten yards ahead of us it turned and made straight back for us, but as we were bows-on to it, it came right alongside the boat, churning up the water and wetting us. At this moment it turned on its side, its right fore-flipper beating the surface and its belly towards us, and was just starting to rear its head up when we both lunged at it with our paddles, and so pushed the little boat away from it. This brought us alongside the ice-foot, from which Campbell got a shot at it half a minute later, and wounded it in the neck. The moment after we lunged at it with our paddles it dived, then reappeared ten or fifteen yards off, rearing its head out of the water, and it was at this moment that Campbell shot it. After this it reappeared several times at the surface, but drifted away with the tide and we lost it.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 53. A Sea-Leopard 10 ft. 6 ins. long]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 54. A Young Sea-Leopard on Sea-Ice (Page 87)]

The sea-leopard has not a reputation for attacking men in boats, and this one may have been actuated by curiosity merely, but in favour of its meaning to attack us were, first, that it came to us straight from the direction of the dead bull we had shot, and secondly, that it seems hardly likely that after b.u.mping against our keel, mere curiosity could have tempted it to come back and try to look over the gunwale! As a rule we had to drift very quietly along when hunting sea-leopards, as the slightest sound frightened them away.

All that we could do to protect our friends was to shoot as many of these sea-leopards as possible but though we may have made some difference, there were always many about.

Some idea of the depredations committed by these animals may be gathered from the fact that in the stomach of one which we shot I found the bodies of eighteen penguins, in various stages of digestion, the beast's intestines being literally stuffed with the feathers remaining from the disintegration of many more. Photographs of these animals are seen in Figs. 52, 53, and 54.

Though the actual presence of a sea-leopard put the Adelies to confusion, causing them to "porpoise" madly away for a few hundred yards, yet once away from the immediate neighbourhood of the arch enemy, they appeared to think no more of him, and behaved as though there were no further need for anxiety, though probably they kept a sharp look-out nevertheless. Evidence goes to show that the sea-leopard is the only living enemy, excepting man, that threatens the life of the adult Adelie penguin.

One day, as I watched some hundreds of Adelies bathing in an open lead, suddenly the back of an enormous killer-whale (_Orca gladiator_) rose above the surface as it crossed the lead from side to side, appearing from beneath the ice on one side and disappearing beneath it on the other. To my surprise, not the slightest fear was shown by the birds in the water. Had this beast been a sea-leopard, there would have been a stampede, and every bird have leapt from the water on to the sea-ice. On this evidence I formed the opinion that in all probability killer-whales do no harm to Adelie penguins; later I saw it confirmed, when a school of killers shaved close past several floes that were crowded with Adelies, and made not the least attempt to get at them, as they might so easily have done by upsetting the floes. Very probably this is because the agile bird can escape with such ease from the ponderous whale, and fears it no more than a terrier fears a cow, though he thinks twice before coming within reach of its jaws.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 55. "WITH GRACEFUL ARCHING OF HIS NECK, APPEARED TO a.s.sURE HER OF HIS READINESS TO TAKE CHARGE" (Page 90)]

When the sea-ice had gone out, leaving open water right up to the ice-foot, a ledge of ice was left along the western side of the rookery, forming a sort of terrace or "front," with its sides composed of blue ice, rising sheer out of the water to a height of some six feet or more in places. From this point of vantage it was possible to stand and watch the penguins as they swam in the clear water below, and some idea was formed of their wonderful agility when swimming beneath the surface. As they propelled themselves along with powerful strokes of their wings, they swerved from side to side to secure the little prawn-like euphausia which literally swarm everywhere in the Antarctic seas, affording them ample food at all times. Their gluttonous habits here became very evident. They would gobble euphausia until they could hold no more, only to vomit the whole meal into the water as they swam, and so enlightened start to feast again. As they winged their way along, several feet beneath the surface, a milky cloud would suddenly issue from their mouths and drift slowly away down stream, as, without the slightest pause in their career, they dashed eagerly along in the hunt for more.

When a penguin returned to his mate on the nest, after his jaunt in the sea, much formality had to be gone through before he was allowed to take charge of the eggs. This ceremony of "relieving guard" almost invariably was observed.

Going up to his mate, with much graceful arching of his neck, he appeared to a.s.sure her in guttural tones of his readiness to take charge (Fig. 55). At this she would become very agitated, replying with raucous staccato notes, and refusing to budge from her position on the eggs.

Then both would become angry for a while, arguing in a very heated manner, until at last she would rise, and, standing by the side of the nest, allow him to walk on to it, which he immediately did, and after carefully placing the eggs in position, sink down upon them, afterwards thrusting his bill beneath his breast to push them gently into a comfortable position. After staying by him for a little while, the other at length would go off to bathe and feed.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 56. "The Chicks began to appear"

(A Typical Group of Nests)]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 57. An Adelie being Sick (Page 94)]

The length of time during which each bird was away varied considerably, but a "watch bill" was kept of one particular pair with the following result:(5)

(5) This "watch-bill" was kindly kept for me by Mr. Priestly on his meteorological rounds, the nests being near the thermometer screen.

Nov. 14. Egg laid. Hen sitting.

Nov. 27. A c.o.c.k seen to join the hen for the first time since the 14th.

He took her place on the nest. This was the first day on which any red guano was seen about the nest.

Dec. 10. The hen returned between 8 P.M. and 10 P.M., having been absent since November 27. Fresh red guano: the first for many days.

Dec. 14. The c.o.c.k relieved the hen between 8 A.M. and 10 A.M.

Dec. 15. The hen relieved the c.o.c.k between 8 A.M. and 10 A.M. Between 6 P.M. and 8 P.M. the chick was hatched, the hen remaining on the nest.

Dec. 17. At 8 A.M. the c.o.c.k was found to have relieved the hen.

Dec. 18. Hen mounted guard between 6 P.M. and 8 P.M.

Dec. 20. c.o.c.k relieved guard about 8 A.M. At 8 P.M. both c.o.c.k and hen were at the nest, the hen standing by it, the c.o.c.k on it.

Dec. 21. The hen relieved guard at 8 P.M.

Dec. 23. c.o.c.k came back at noon and relieved guard.

Dec. 24. The c.o.c.k remained on guard all day. The hen was gone from 1 P.M. till 6 P.M., when she returned and relieved guard.

Dec. 25. 8 A.M. Both at nest, hen still on. 10 A.M. changed guard. Hen gone.

Dec. 26. Hen on nest. c.o.c.k standing near.

Dec. 27. 8 A.M. c.o.c.k on nest.

Dec. 28. 8 A.M. Hen on nest.

Dec. 29. c.o.c.k relieved guard.

Dec. 30. Hen arrived 3 P.M. and relieved guard.

Dec. 31. 10 P.M. to midnight, changed, c.o.c.k on. Both there at 10 P.M.

Jan. 1. 10 A.M. Both at nest. 12 noon. Both at nest. The youngster complicating matters by running away every time he was pa.s.sed by the observer, thus getting himself and his parents embroiled with the neighbours.

Jan. 1. 2 P.M. Hen on nest. c.o.c.k gone.

Jan. 2. 10 A.M. Hen on nest. 12 noon. Chick disappeared. 2 P.M. Nest deserted. 4 P.M. c.o.c.k on nest. No chick. 8 P.M. c.o.c.k on nest. No chick.

Jan. 3. c.o.c.k on the nest with the chick.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 58. METHOD OF FEEDING THE YOUNG (Page 94)]

From the above Table it will be seen that the hen was not relieved by the c.o.c.k until a fortnight after she had laid her egg (in this case there was only one) so that probably she had been without food for a month. Then she left, and only returned to relieve the c.o.c.k after the lapse of another fortnight, it being worth remarking that each was absent for the same length of time. When the chick was hatched, a different regime began, as of course the chick had to be fed and journeys to the sea made at regular intervals for the purpose of getting food.

When the chicks began to appear all over the rookery (Fig. 56), a marked change was noticed in the appearance of the parents as they made their way on foot from the water's edge to the nests. Hitherto they had been merely remarkable for their spotless and glistening plumage, but now they were bringing with them food for the young, and so distended were their stomachs with this, that they had to lean backward as they walked, to counterbalance their bulging bellies, and in consequence frequently tripped over the inequalities of the ground which were thus hidden from their gaze.

What with the exertion of tramping with their burden across the rookery, and perhaps on rare occasions one or two little disputes with other penguins by the way, frequently they were in some distress before they reached their destination, and quite commonly they would be sick and bring up the whole offering before they got there. Consequently, little red heaps of mashed up and half digested euphausia were to be seen about the rookery. Once I saw a penguin, after he had actually reached the nest, quite unable to wait for the chick to help itself in the usual manner, deposit the lot upon the ground in front of his mate. I saw what was coming and secured the accompanying photograph of the incident.

(Fig. 57.) When this happens the food is wasted, as neither chick nor adult will touch it however hungry they may be, the former only feeding by the natural method of pushing his head down the throat of a parent, and so helping himself direct from the gullet. (Fig. 58.)

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 59. PROFILE OF AN ADeLIE CHICK (Page 95)]