Part I: Seals teeth and whales ears - Scott Polar Research Institute ...

wings. The undersurface of the body and the throat were normal. Other Cape
pigeons were flying about and it was possible to make direct comparison of both
colouring and size, which was similar. We got out the 12-bore and Derek and I went
down to the point hoping to get a specimen. Although we were there for nearly an
hour in driving snow and a bitter wind we were unsuccessful. We saw it four more
times, but it didn't come close enough for a shot. The binoculars were hopelessly
snowed-up so I was unable to get a detailed sight. I hoped that it might turn up next
summer to breed and that we would see it. (It was only much later that I realized that
this was was in fact an Antarctic petrel, the only one we ever saw at Signy Island,
although the species has been seen since).
Next morning I saw a very large flock of shags, estimated conservatively at 1,500
birds. They flew from Outer Islet or beyond and alighted on the sea near Bare Rock.
The large number of them fishing was a great sight; about half of the flock would be
underwater at any one time - emerging jointly with a great splash and churning the
still water into turbulence. This made an accurate count difficult. During June and
July there were moderate numbers of snowies, giant petrels, sheathbills and
Dominicans about throughout each day.
One morning I went over to Elephant Flats on foot to look for seals I had heard
during the night. I saw only one snowy, but counted 35 giant petrels in the air at one
time - larger numbers than had been around for some time. I decided to do a seal
count, although the weather wasn't promising and the ground very soggy. A flock of
20 Dominicans in Elephant Flats rose at my approach and I saw that same flock in
Stygian Cove later. I carried on around the coast and in Starfish Bay came across
unmistakable signs of penguins: on the snow slope to the northern end were the
excreta of about 30 penguins, where they had roosted overnight. I also saw one or
two shags and a few snowies and giant petrels.
Early in July we walked over to Elephant Flats, where Derek shot at a
Dominican, one of several flying around, and missed. Then he shot a shag and
brought it down in full flight, killing it outright; a very good shot. It bounced 2 ft on
hitting the ground and the shock made it vomit up a fish - Notothenia coriiceps -
which it had just eaten and which had stuck in its throat. I pulled it out and found it
was still alive, so threw it back into the sea; we would have eaten it if it had been
bigger. A flock of about 50 shags was fishing in the bay and no doubt this bird had
come from among them; it was flying in a southeasterly direction, perhaps to
Shagnasty. We buried the bird in a mound of snow, so that the sheathbills wouldn't
find it and went on across Elephant Flats.
At the Northwest corner of Starfish Bay we came upon a group of 55 gentoos,
which were loathe to take to the water when chased, and climbed up the snow slopes
instead. They followed a leader like so many sheep; individuals occasionally
hesitated with a vestige of independence, looked around thoroughly lost and then
hurried on after the main band, side-slipping in the steep snow. We picked up the
shag and made our way up to the hut. In the evening I drew the bird and began to
paint it, but the lights were very dim and I fell asleep. Later I drew it in another
position and was much pleased with the result. I then skinned it and handed over the
carcass to Derek who roasted it for dinner. It was quite edible, but certainly not a
delicacy as Harrison Matthews said it was in South Georgia; there was a slight oily or
295