Page:Polar Exploration - Bruce - 1911.djvu/141

Rh excellent food, the ptarmigan being common to almost all Arctic lands, even beyond the 83rd parallel of north latitude. Birds of prey, notably the Snowy Owl (Nyctea scandiaca) and the Greenland Falcon (Falco candicans) are also characteristic birds in many Arctic lands.

But when we come to consider sea birds, then the Antarctic Regions are as rich as the Arctic Regions, if not in species, certainly in numbers. The two most characteristic orders of birds are penguins and petrels. Besides these there is a shag, one gull, two skuas, and two terns. The penguins literally swarm in millions, and occupy every available space of bare ground near the sea that is not ice-covered. These crowded areas recall the remarkable bird cliffs and isolated bird islands of the Arctic Regions. So numerous are penguins even in subantarctic islands that sealers have resorted to the barbarous method of boiling these birds down indiscriminately for the sake of the valuable oil that they contain. This custom has been rightly put a stop to in some British possessions. The most remarkable penguin that exists in the Antarctic Regions is the Emperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri), which, though not so numerous as other species, is found in very great numbers in certain places, as, for instance, Victoria Land, Coats Land,