Queen Elizabeth II 25th Anniversary Coronation First Day Cover, South Georgia postmarked on June 2, 1978.
South Georgia
South Georgia is a barren, mountainous island in the South Atlantic, north of the Weddell Sea and 1200 miles east of Cape Horn. It is about one hundred miles long, with an area of 1600 square miles. It mostly comprises of snow-covered mountains and glacier filled valleys, but the several anchorages have historically provided relief for whalers. The 1000 in- habitants of the only village, Grytviken, departed with the end of whaling in 1965, leaving 20 British Antarctic Survey members. Claimed by Captain Cook in 1775 for Britain, it was also visited by another famous explorer, Shackleton, who died and was buried there.
The fur seal, depicted in this Omnibus issue, may be differentiated from its relatives the seal and sealion in a number of ways. Sealions have shorter pelts and prefer warmer waters; fur seals have rich fur, and propel themselves with their forepaws, using the rear ones as rudders, and preferring colder but not polar waters; and seals propel themselves with their rear legs, and tolerate polar waters. The South Georgia fur seal relies on krill for its staple diet, and also eats fish, Gentoo Penguins and squid. Its predators include killer whales, leopard seals and in warmer waters, sharks; and many are also killed in lighting among bulls. Their main enemy however, is man; in the early 19th Century, 30 sealing vessels, American, British and Russian hunted around the island, slaughtering on average 1,250,000 seals a year. The colonies were practically wiped out, and sealing stopped until late in the century, when tens of thousands more were killed. For a time, the species was believed to be extinct. Fortunately, however, a small colony survived on Bird Island, and now the animal is protected on all British islands in the South Atlantic.
The heraldic beast shown in this issue is the Panther of Henry VI, so named from the use of it in his badge. The Panther at St. George's Chapel on the roof bosses of the Queen's closet is also attributed to him, but it appeared earlier in the badge of Henry IV. Frequently regarded in the 16th Century as the female of the lion, it was given as sinister supporter to Queen Jane Seymour, and used by another of Henry VIII's wives, Catherine Parr, in her seal.
