Page:A Voyage of Discovery and Research in the Southern and Antarctic Regions Vol 2.djvu/459

Rh wing. Its greatest enemy is the Lestris antarcticus, a fierce raptorial gull, which is constantly on the watch for the bird quitting its nest, when it will instantly pounce down upon and devour the egg. So well is the albatross aware of the propensity of its enemy, that it will snap its beak loudly whenever it observes this rover hovering overhead. Three or four species of petrel were breeding in the holes of the cliffs overhanging the bay.

The oceanic birds met with, after our departure from Campbell Island, were albatrosses, petrels, and penguins. Those most frequently seen were Diomedea exulans, D. fuliginosa, Procellaria gigantea, P. capensis, P. pelagica, P. Cookii, P. vittata, and P. marina. Two species of seaweed were frequently passed floating on the surface of the sea, a Laminaria, and the Macrocystis pyrifera; the latter was met with as far south as the sixty-fourth degree.

On crossing the Antarctic circle on the new year's day, the White Petrel (Procellaria nivea), the sure harbinger of ice, first made its appearance; it is the most elegant and beautiful species of all the petrels, and delights to be in the vicinity of ice; for during the summer season it is scarcely ever seen north of the Antarctic circle. It will often, after gracefully skimming the surface of the ocean in search of shrimps and small fishes, elevate its flight, and amuse itself in making rapid circles round the ship. Whilst going through their various evolutions, I have often succeeded in obtaining specimens by shooting them from the deck to windward, so as to secure their falling on board.

On the 11th of January, 1841, in latitude about 71° S., and longitude 171° E., the Antarctic Continent was first seen, the general outline of which at once indicated its volcanic character; rising steeply from the ocean in a stupendous mountain range, peak above peak, enveloped in perpetual snow, and clustered together in countless groups resembling a vast mass of crystallisation, which, as the sun's rays were reflected on it, exhibited a scene of such