arded as perfectly safe
from the sea, was submerged, as shown by the kelp and sand lying on top
of it, and the fact that seven or eight briquettes were found fifteen
feet away from the heap.

Nothing at the wireless station was damaged and work went on as usual.
The wind used to make a terrific noise in the aerial wires, but this did
not affect the transmission of messages. The howling of the wind round
the operating-hut interfered with the receiving, at times making
it extremely difficult to hear signals; particularly on nights not
favourable for wireless work.

Hamilton was at this time concentrating his attention on shags or
cormorants. This species of cormorant is peculiar to the island, being
found nowhere else. They are blue-black, with a white breast, and on the
head they have a small black crest. At the top of the beak are golden
lobes, while the skin immediately round the eye is pale blue. They
remain on the shores of the island all the year and nest on the rocks
in or very close to the water. They form rookeries and build nests
of grass, laying three eggs about the end of November. The period
of incubation is six weeks. They live entirely on fish, and, on that
account, neither the birds nor the eggs are palatable. They are very
stupid, staring curiously till one gets almost within reach of them,
when they flap heavily into the water. They are easily caught when
sitting on the nest, but a shag rookery, like most other rookeries, is
by no means a pleasant place in which to linger.

I had the satisfaction of getting the first record from the tide-gauge
on the first day of July, but the clock worked erratically, requiring
some attention.

Hamilton had a lobster-pot set some distance from the shore and anchored
to a float, but unfortunately the pot was lost in the rough seas at the
end of June. He had a couple of fish-traps also, but, in view of this
disaster, he decided to set these in Aerial Cove, where the water was
quieter. Having a couple of sea leopard heads which required macerating,
he baited the trap with them and lowered it into the water, securing it
to the rock with a steel wire.

Taking advantage of a bright sun on the following day, Blake and
Hamilton went to "The Nuggets" and took some geological and biological
photographs, which on being developed turned out well. They had occasion
to enter one of the unoccupied huts down there and found a wild cat a
little more than half grown, which they cau