nned it, having to carry the carcase along the
rocks at the base of the cliffs, and getting many duckings on the way.

On July 26 I went round to Aerial Cove with Hamilton to have a look
at the fish-trap, but it had disappeared, the wire having broken,
apparently through the continual friction against rock. He had
previously caught some fish in it, and it was rather a misfortune to
lose it so soon.

During the last week of the month we all had our hair cut. On arrival
at the island, several of us had it shorn very closely with the clippers
and had not trimmed it since then, growth being very slow. We had a
proper hair-cutting outfit and either Blake, Hamilton or Sandell acted
as barber.

Blake was an expert with the needle and did some really neat mending,
while with the aid of some woollen thread and a mug he darned holes in
his socks most artistically. He was the authority on how, when and
where to place a patch or on the only method of washing clothes. The
appearance of his articles when washed, compared with mine, made me
wonder.

Hamilton was busy, about this time, dredging in swamp pools and securing
specimens of the rockhopper or gentoo penguin.

The small gentoo penguins, like the King penguins, do not migrate and
are few in numbers. They form diminutive colonies, which are always
established on mounds amongst the tussock, or on the hill sides not far
from the water. Their eggs, which are globular in shape, are about the
best of the penguin eggs for eating, and if their nests are robbed the
birds will generally lay again, although I think they could not lay more
than four eggs. They build their nests of grass and plant leaves, and
occasionally have been known to establish a fresh rookery after their
first one has been robbed. They are more timid than any other species
of penguin, and leave the nests in a body when one ventures into the
rookery. The skuas take advantage of this peculiarity to the length of
waiting about till a chance presents itself, when they swoop down, pick
up an egg with their beak and fly off. The penguin makes a great fuss on
returning to find that the eggs are gone, but generally finishes up by
sitting on the empty nest. We have frequently put ten or a dozen eggs
into one nest and watched the proprietress on her return look about
very doubtfully and then squat down and try to tuck the whole lot under
herself with her beak.

Weather conditions were rough enough during July, but occas