Scrambled Penguin’s Egg A Substitute For Whitebait?

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 14, Issue 77, 16 December 1949, Page 7

Scrambled Penguin’s Egg A Substitute For Whitebait?

With New Zealand’s whitebait harvest decreasing annually, a discovery made by visitors to Campbell and Macquarie /Islands in the frigate H.M.N.Z.S. Tutira, could perhaps be used as a Substitute. It was that scrambled penguin’s garnished with butter, has exactly the same taste as whitebait. j No Difference Mr J. R. Hutchinson, a National Film Unit cameraman, who made the trip said that when the dish was served as an entree at a dinner given by the men on the Island for their visitors, he was sure he was eating whitebait and would defy anyone, even a West Coaster to tell the difference.

Twenty-five tons of store and coal were landed by the ships boats and carted over a rough hilly track to the weather camp about half a mile from the landing place. In between humping bags of coal, members of the crew amused themselves by catching and riding sea 'elephants. , The men on the Islands were naturally pleased to see the frigate and their welcome was so warm that they rushed into the surf as the boat reached the beach at Campbell Island to shake the hands with the visitors, Mr Hutchinson vainly endeavoured to jump ashore and film the welcome but was prevented by the men insisting on shaking hands and slapping him on the back.

The sea elephants and albatrosses fwho received the attentions of Dr 'Marshall Laird, entomologist, who also made the trip were not so pfeased to welcome the strangers Dr Laird wished to obtain blood samples -from these creatures and brought back between 500 and 600 smears on slides.

Much Agility The agility he displayed in getting his samples was commented on by other members of the party. Dr Laird would jump in quickly, make an incision in the tail, with a scalpel, jump out quickly before he received a swipe from the tail, grab a slide and jump in again to get his samples. On the albatrosses he made the incision in the foot.

Many of the visitors brought back with them, as souvenirs, penguin eggs autographed by the men on the Islands.