SOUTHERN SCIENTIFIC EXPEDITION.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 58, 2 December 1907, Page 8

SOUTHERN SCIENTIFIC EXPEDITION.

THE TRIP RETRACED. STEWART ISLAND , AND THE SNARES. SEA-LIONS AND PENGUINS. A REMARKABLE SCENE. . (DT TELEGRAPH —SPECIAL CORP.ESPONDENT.) Invcrcargill, November 30. Owing to the breakdown of the Mararoa's steering gear, which delayed tile Wo'iin;::ton members of tlie expedition, the departure of the Hinomoa was postponed until the lirst train reached tho Bluff 011 Thursday, November 14. The Wellington members >vore variously greeted by their fellow-trav-ellers, accordingly as they had found the delay pleasant or irksome. At once all tho members met to elect tho two Executive Committees, one for the Auckland Islands, the other for the Campbell Islands. To the former were elected Professor Benliam, Dr. C. C. Farr, and Dr. L. Cockayne; to tho latter Dr. Marshall, Professor Kirk, and Mr. R. M. Laing. Early Experiments. By tho time , this and other business reached a settlement, the Hinomoa had cleared the eutranco to the harbour, and was tosing on the waters of Fovcaux Strait'. Though the day was fine- and the Strait calmer , than usual, several members of the expedition assumod a more and more preoccupied appearance. Now camo the first occasion for experiments, for an enterprising Christchurch chemist had sent on board certain bottles containing an infallible specific for son-sickness. The hale members of- tho party wont round administering this specific to all that had the .courage to,take it; and-with the medicine, advice as to tho making of wills was freely given, and careful post-mortem examination was • promised. No post-mortem was held, however, for all tho subjects-survived, and some atloast considered that the treatment had been beneficial. Still,' worshippers offering to Neptuno all they most valued at tho moment, wore not few. Working past Port Advcnturo, the achievement of Captain Musgrave and ten of his comrades. was recalled, for here they landed after their perilous journey from tho Auckland Islands in the snip's •dinghy. At Stewart' Island. Soon after dinner, heroically disregarded by. tho : preoccupied consumers of patent medicino, the liinemoa ontored Port Pegasus, of the many lovely spots in Stewart Island 9110. of the loveliest. Two parties went ashore, one making for the tin mines, the othor ror a little sandy cove, where magnetic observations were to" be taken. Tho mention of tin mines must not call up visions of a busy place where tin js abundantly obtained. Indeed, thoro are in reality no-mines,' and very little tin. What tin there is is of excellent quality, and a few years ago great expectations wore based upon it, but, although money was made and lost, it was for tlie most ■ part lost by 9110 set of men and made by another, a thing not quite unique in- the .history of mining in New Zealand. However, the excursionists hacl a delightful and interesting walk, and botanists and geologists • alike came back loaded with specimens. • lit the sandy cove to which the magnetic, party had- gone, a. tent was set- up, and mysterious observations, expressed by;-col-umns''of figures in note 'books, were made. The seine - was drawn, and a list of the lislies caught was carefully niado; The most noticeable of these were flounders, solos, and mold. The , white heron that has for years been known to lead a solitary life in Port Pegasus, soared , himself slowly across t-ho bay just boforo sunset-.Tho cove in which these observations were made .was iii all' respect's typical ■' of, Stewart Island, stoep and slippery rocks on either sido, and at tlie end a bench of golden sand. On all sides the forest' came down, and' overhung the sea, rata, nimu. ,and tho southern totara growing within splash of tho waves, and amojig these trees the smaller grass- trees and coprosmas. . Covering' rocks, soil, and t-reo' 'trunks - were callisenc ncrteras and filmy ferns. ,Tlie spot was'in-short an ab : solu'tq fairyland. Both parties returnod to tho ship at dusk, arid t-he'results of two or three easts of the dredge were .eagerly examine:!. •. : . , . • ... • • Tho Snares. " The rim of sixty miles. S.W. to the Snares wiis made during, the night,-, and soon after daylight the Hinomoa lay tindeiv the granite cliffs of- the- larger islet, while Cape pigeons, diving petrels and sea swallows Uew all round., The' morning was showery and a cold wind -was'.blowing,-' and the shore party shivered behind, boats and deck-houses while the preparations for landing were made. One member of . tho • party * had a very sticky oilskin'that had been wrapped in newspaper, with the result that, the paper adhered to it in .great patches.- .Ho .-announced that lie was. tho public newsagent for the Snares. Later; in the day, when ho came-back to tho ship after forcing his way through the scrub and tussocks of the island, it was found that the hard reading of tlie inhabitants had worn out the paper. The boat was manned by the party's own crew of Stowart Islanders, with John Waitiri as boat-steerer. As the boat approached the shore she was surrounded by penguins, K\yirrimihg. below the. surface, by means .of I their "wings, or leaping like dolphins from the wafer. The first good view of a penguin rookery on shore,J and the. indescribable babel of sound that arose from it caused much' amusement'. Throughout tho ' rookery [certain of tho white-breasted occupants were always hopping aboiit, and the general effect was that or a flickering kinematograph vie\V. Welcome from Sea-Lions. As the landing-cove was . approached ten sea lions swam out to'-welcome the boat, sporting about as the taniwha : of old times sported round the war oanoes, of their favourite Maori warriors. Soon the depot, for castaways was' reached, and herp sea lipns were in possession. , As the party landcd.'theso animals'made for the sea,their ungainly, movements provoking much laughter. Now and again.an old bull—bull lions are not heard-of, but bull sea-lions are well known—would rear himself on his flippers, looking grand and fierce, and would-mate a savage, rush two or threo 'times, his- own length, scattering visitors right and left. One grand old -bull, scarfed .with the wounds of. a hundred lights, was in possession of the lnioll tliat wastobeused-for magnetic work. Him,-it'was; necessary to drive off, but the work was not easy. «' He was nearly • blind, but lie reared himself with, a savage bellow and charged a,gain- and again at those that threw clods and "at those that sought to .immortalise him on the camera plate. As he reared' himself on his flippers, like a giaiit 011 orutches, he was 8 or 9 feet high. - Littlo by litt-lo he was driven to tho sea.' Tho moment h'o_ plunged into it he was transformed int-o a being of superb power and marvellous facility of movement. In Penguin Town. -The magnetic party remaining on tho knoll, most. of. tho' other members mado for the nearest penguins' rookery,, incidentally dislodging several' sea lions. A penguin rookery is like nothing elso 011 earth. Tho birds are in hundreds—sometimes thousands. Tho liests aro slight elevations of mud and grass, but the grass not lining tho nest to give. comfort, but built into ' tho walls to hold the mud together; Throughout tho rookery, if it be an old one, 110 plant grows owing to the trampling of the birds. The ground betweon tho nests is covered by excreta, and into this are trampled broken egg-sholls—unbroken eggs in some cases — and young birds that- have died. The stencil is vile; in short, tho conditions are, as a member of the parly put it, insanitary; yet tho scene is one-of tho weirdest, and most interesting. Just now tho young arc covered by their mouse-coloured down, and each one nestled on tho foot of tho mother or father bird, the paront stooping slightly forward to cover it more or loss 'completely; but as visitors from the steamer arc announced most of the parent birds straighten lip more or less, and shriek out sounds, not-of. welcome. - While ono parent sits on tho nest the other stands beside it, unless be or she is away fishing or fighting, for fighting appears to bo tho only recreation in Penguin Town. Thus a bird that has been fishing ~™tnes back and makes for his olace in tho

rookery to relieve Mrs. Penguin of tho tagk ; of nursing baby, or to tell hor tho nows of the great world. No sooner, .doos be entor tho rookery than a bird {iccks him. He can't refuse to hit ba'ck; and so 'his passago to his nest is marked by a Series ; of bloody sgirmishes—not bloody in fancy only, for actual drops of blood sometimes mark his passago. Frequently, too, 'there aro "scraps" between the occupiers of adjacent nests. 'It is very difficult Ho say why two birds, apparently each at peaso with the wliolo world, will suddenly change to two fierce warriors, and will fight till oho or both beconio exhaustod. The fight is not fought in silence, for each fighter boasts' whiit lie will do, and each taunts the "other." Moreover, "barrackers" nro.all round,' and the. combined din is indoscribablo, but if you pass across tho rookery all 'fights''in:, tlie line of your passage are and not a bird fails to lean forward and gn<c;you a savage • peck. You congratulate yourself on the thickness of your leggings.' Occasionally, as you approach a bird will dislodge the young one from its feet, and hop away, .but- it is only occasionally. Thosij birds' seldom lack the royal courage to protect .their young. The number of dead young birds is enormous. This is probably' due for the most part to their being trampled oh during fighting. Another possible can go -of this groat, infant- mortality ..may exist, in the presence of leeches. Interesting Blrtl Life. Passing through the wind-swept' scrub,and coming here and thore .-.to other' rookeries, • ijiost of the members of the party' made their way towards the higher parts of the island. Flitting ariiong tho scrub we're the' charming little black robin and tiio ; fern' bird, the latter usually keeping low t'd the'ground, and hiding in the most marvellous fashion. Now and again, too, were seen the so-called snipe, quaint and serious looking birds, looking, except for. their long bills, liko reduced wood-liens. All these land birds were very tame, and easy to approach. Linnets, thrushes, and blackbirds' have reached the island, but- no ono .• saw any. sparrows. Oil tho higher parts of-tho island, wore found mutton bird burrows,: and how'and again a bolated young bird-ot last season was found, but breeding has not. yet"begun this year, although many of tho biirroifs have been cleaned out ready for use. Thi) little diving petrel was found nesting iii" smaller burrows. In two places were found skua gulls nesting, if that ternfmay be used of ii' bird that' often makes 110 nest. As one came upon theso places, the old birds Hew .savagely around, constantly swooping at th& 'i'tftirudors, but seldom actually touching All about were tile remains of other ■ that the skuas had.dostroyed.' Among ;th'ese remains wore thoso of tho cleiir little diving petrol, and those of the mutton bird. The predaceous habits of tho skua have gained for it the namo-of tho sea hawk,. bii s fc -it lacks the beauty and graco of the liawk, and is, indeed, ; a heavy, ungainly bird; ; lii several spots young skuas were fobnd, arid' one, was seen to omerge from' tho shell iii downy inno.ccncc. . . Cosd-bye to tho Snares. ': ' ' ' At-2 o'clock the vessel was. again under way, and steamed .round ..the. islands-, sounding her siron for castaways. ■ ; During tho afternoon ?ho left tbV Snares. to . tlio mist and rain, and steamed for the' Auckland Islands. On Saturday,, at,.7 a-.m:, the:steamer' raado Erebus-Cove, Port Ross., This is tho northorn harbour of, the Auckland Islands, and is the scene of tlio' Etiderby Coin'pahy's unsuccessful attempt ait colonisation in tlio middle of last., century:. There, oil this occasion, wore the castaways..from -the -Dundona|d, whose story has ,been'-already told, arid tho meeting with these men monopolized the attention of all. • Leaving the. castaways happy-, in tho prospect of again sking the wprld," tlio Hinemoa' sailed for Caruloy harbour. Sli'o landed tho Auckland Island party of the scientific expedition at . Camp Cove whore ono of the depots for castaways is placed. There, iii the sholt-er of a fine rata: forest,. tKev began to pitch their camp,' and here, for the present, we leave them.