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The often-told story of the antics of Adelie penguins fearful of entering water where leopard seals may be lurking is recounted and reinterpretations of this behaviour pattern are discussed. Few observations have been made of the methods used by the seals in capturing penguins and only one illustration of a ‘ near miss,’ a penguin that had escaped although with some injury, seems to have been published. Birds badly injured seen at Cape Adare in 1965 are illustrated and discussed in relation to the particular conditions at this site, the history and geographical setting of which is outlined. Accounts of predation by leopard seals, as given in the literature, are detailed and commented upon in the light of the casual observations at Cape Adare and of recent field work in the U.S. Antarctic Research Programme. Observations of such predation are shown to have been by good fortune rather than by deliberate intent. Physical conditions of ice, tides and local geography, as well as the numerical abundance of seals and the proximity of their breeding and foraging areas to the penguin rookeries are important but may vary in significance. The effect of leopard seal predation on the overall mortality of populations of both young and adult penguins is considered negligible in relation to the numerical size of their rookeries.