The Scene of the Dundonald Wreck

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXXIX, Issue 25, 21 December 1907, Page 32

The Scene of the Dundonald Wreck

A Naturalist’s Visit to Disappointment Island.

(By

L. COCKAYNE, Ph.D.)

TT TOWEVER great my wishes had I I for Rome years been to explore Disappointment Island and learn I JL something of its Natural HisM. tory, these were increased fourfold by the story of disaster and heroism heard from the lips of the men themselves, the unfortunate castaways of the Dundonald, who had spent many weary months on the desolate spot, to most quite unknown, and to others at best a name upon the map of the far South. Thursday, November 28th, was a very tine day indeed for the Auckland Islands, and all on board the staunch llinemoa heard with delight that a landing could be effected with ease and safety. But though the weather was propitious so far as the wind was concerned, no gleam of sun was seen all day, and a light rain fell, which made the tussock sopping wet, and the writing of the allimportant notes a difficult business. 'the island is of a somewhat circular form, perhaps rather less than two miles in diameter. On all sides its surface terminates in precipices, frequently of great height. There is but one landing place, a small inlet jutting into the cliffs, terminated by a small waterfall, but with some Hat rocks, on which one can easily step, and fringed with a thick belt of the large kelp. Durvellaea, which, as usual in these rocky isles, makes an excellent natural fender for a boat. Within the calm water of this boat harbour the sea lions swim as usual and they bask upon the flat rocks to the discomfiture of those who must pass them to gain the meadow above. But our gaze .was this time not for sea-lions, we had seen them daily, and learnt that menacing attitude and roar was at most a piece of bluff, and that they were inquisitive and not aggressive. Rather were our eyes fixed upon a strange object upon the fiat rock, a curious shaped basket, built of twisted and gnarled stems of some low tree or shrub, the framework indeed of the veritable boat so-called, a coracle at which our British ancestors would have looked askance, but in which, when covered with its grease-soaked canvas, the daring men had made their bid for freedom. Surely such a voyage has been never made before. Nor did the men look on it as a forlorn hope by any means. Though anxious day succeeded day before the. famished men returned from their first fruitless essay, this time the canvas leaking at every pore, the grease altogether gone, their comrades on the island never abandoned hope or gave them up for lost. As for the canvas of the boat now wanting on the skeleton craft, we had already seen it, but in the guise once more of clothing. But every moment was precious; here was an island in a region of surpassing interest, and we were the first naturalists privileged to record what it contained of plant and animal life. Even from the ship some of the slopes appeared dotted with white, as if some great ♦lower was in bloom all over the meadows. These were the nestling mollyhawks, and in their ’thousands, each on its rheese-shaped nest built of peat and tussock grass, ami each intent upon its work of hatching the great egg. destined to bring forth a monster chicken who for the long months of wind and storm would remain firm at its post upon the nest, fed daily by the panmt birds, its destiny finally to roam the ocean and follow in the wake of ships. As one passes the moth *r birds, they snap their Is-aks angrily, but make no attempt to move. Home not on the nests move clumsily away. Happing their vast wings, but quite unable to ascend into the air except from some special point. A few ungainly chickens iff the sooty albatross were here and there, at this stage most h<dph*ss, silly looking creatures, very* different from the Ixautiful bird as it *nils with motionless wings above the waves. Near the landing place are numerous penguin rookeries, but at the time of the visit then* were eggs merely In the nests and no chickens, such as

we had seen everywhere at the Snares. It is interesting to note with what a gßity and speed a penguin can climb a quite steep face of rock by means of its toes. In Auckland and Adams Islands, rookeries are wanting another species of penguin, nesting in the forests near the shore, but in small numbers only. Of course the Skua gulls were present. These dark-coloured birds, when on the ground, look the most stupid and harmless of birds, but venture near their nesting place, and swooping down with outstretched wings they attack with great daring, and' will even strike the intruder. 1 only saw one land bird, the pippit or ground lark. The species is said to be identical with the New' Zealand form, but it is certainly much tamer. They seem to take a delight in the presence of man, and peck for food all round, and show themselves of! generally in 4 delightfully coquettish ami charming manner. Quite commonly they will come within a loot or two, and' one actually perched upon the boot of a sailor while my friend Aston and myself were waiting for the boat. Plants, however, claimed my attention more than birds, and plants too had been of great importance with regard to tho castaways since they supplied them with food, with shelter, with material for a boat, and negatively afforded a great obstacle owing to their subantarctic form and combination to progress over the island. The number of species of all kinds are small, but this I fully expected since, as already shown in a former article, a decreasing land surface will result in few species, but these may form a rich vegetation owing to the great abundance of individuals. Thus it is on Disappointment Island, certain plants giving a distinct character to wide areas, while tho total number of flowering plants and ferns is but some 31, while messes, lichens and liverworts are very poorly represented. A very striking feature is the great plant of the carrot family, Aeiphylla latifolia, covering steep slopes. This has thick and rather prickly leaves much cut and with broadish segments. The flowers are in very large heads and strikingly handsome, both from their abundance and colour, which varies from flesh-eolour to rosy purple. It makes an excellent and' easy enough cultivated garden-plant. Here and there, dotted through the mass, are small colonies of Pleurophyllum of two species, and the orange or yellow lily Bulbinella Rossii, whose male flower is magnificent, but the female hardly worthy of notice. The Aeiphylla reaches in many places to the middle of the thigh and makes walking difficult. It also quite conceals tho numerous penguins which scuttle about beneath the great green leaves. Other slopes are occupied by Danthonia and Boa meadow, similar to that of Auckland Island, except that the plants are provided with much taller trunks. With these grasses are a few wiry shrubs which hug the ground and do not rise above the grasses, a feature speaking of frequent and terrific gales. But the most interesting feature of all is the natural rejuvenation of the vegetation that is going on. Cast your eye over the landscape and you will see brown meadow dotted with white birds, which slowly but surely kill out all the plant covering and patches of vivid green. This latter arises from the presence of the antarctie burr, or piri piri. in enormous quantities, and it. a quite rare plant in a virgin meadow, has spread from thence and occupied the new ground, thanks to its colonising power, its spring fruits adhering to the feathers of the young birds an being so spread broadcast. Here then is a splendid example of a plant of little importance becoming virtually a weed in a virgin vegetation. But finally, tussock will resume the sway and a gradual destruction and rejuvenation of the vegetation must go on. thanks to the moUyhawks. With the burr are great quantities of a lovely gentian, looking different in form from those of Auckland Island itself, and reminding me

more of the plant of Antipodes. I was almost omitting Stilboearpa, a plant) of much moment to the castaways, since it was their chief vegetable. The plant has a large creeping stem several feet in length, and these probably contain a good deal of starch. At anyrate, the men speak quits highly of it, though from what they said as to its taste varying, it is quite probable they used the stems of roots of others of the large herbaceous plants. It is important to know, however, that it can be eaten at a pinch, though as a palatable food 1 should certainly class it with penguin. Forest on the island there is none, the rata, with its far-stretaehing branches is absent, another signs of the wind’s influence. But there are some fairly large thickets of Veronica elliptica, and these served the men for firewood and for the framework of their marvellous boat. The shrub in question bears a fine white or, at first, purple flower with a delicious scent. It is one of New Zealand’s South American connections. The wood is too heavy to float, and not much good as firewood, nor are straight branches to be found in a wind-swept island. Frequently it is blown prostrate, and the decumbent part puts forth roots, the original roots being torn out of the ground. The leaves would be good for dysentery, but this the castaways would hardly know’. Poor as it is economically the plant was a godsend to them, not only for the boat, but as a framework for their huts. These were compa red by Captain DorrienSmith to Kafir kraals. To me they looked like an old-fashioned straw-thatched pig-stye, the larger ones like an abandoned and ancient straw stack on the Canterbury Plains. But they were just suitable for the climate, let in no water and were as warm as need be. In fact, the life led and the habitations made were exactly those in harmony with the surroundings, and such as would have been used' by an aboriginal tribe. Bub these South lands have never been inhabited, here Nature is as evolution through countless ages has shaped it, and so will it remain slowly changing with the progress of time unless man himself shall occupy it, and bring at one. swoop a change which shall destroy for ever a primeval world and almost the. furthest limit of those plants which bear' flowers and seeds.