252 A NATURALIST ON THE " CHALLENGER." 



noon. It came on to snow thickly at about 4 p.m., and another 

 o-ale came on. The plan adopted by Captain Sir G. Nares, was 

 to lay down the bearings of the adjacent bergs before the weather 

 became too thick for them to be seen, and then steaming with 

 all the power of the ship against the gale, to hang on as long as 

 possible under the lee of a large iceberg, and when driven away 

 from that, to steam rapidly across to the lee of another, the 

 position of which was known by the bearings taken. So we 

 went on steaming backwards and forwards through the whole of 

 a thick dark night. 



When it was at all foggy in calm weather, we hove to 

 amongst the bergs during the night. 



One evening, when there was a very slight fall of snow at 

 the time that there was a brilliant sunset, a snow bow was seen 

 arching high up in the sky. It did not show regularly arranged 

 prismatic colours, but only a uniform bright pinkish yellow hazy 

 light. It was brighter at its lower extremities, like a rainbow. 



With regard to animals, we saw not a single seal, on the ice 

 or in the water, during our Southern trip. No doubt we did not 

 go far enough south, or sufficiently amongst the pack ice to 

 meet with them. When we were off the pack ice, and especially 

 when we neared the Antarctic Circle, whales were extremely 

 abundant, apparently all of one species, a " Finback," probably 

 the southern " Tinner " (Physalus Australis). I saw no Eight 

 Whale amongst them at all. 



As these whales moved under water close to the ship, the 

 light reflected from their bodies lighted up the water around, 

 and enabled one to follow their movements. I several times 

 went away in a small boat from the ship, to shoot birds for our 

 collection. 



On these occasions the whales sometimes blew quite close 

 to the boat. The appearance of a whale's spout as seen from 

 the level of the sea, is very different from that which it has 

 when seen from the deck of a ship ; it appears so much higher 

 and shoots up into the air like a fountain discharged from a 

 very fine rose. The whale of course in reality, does not dis- 

 charge water, but only its breath ; this however, in rushing up 

 into the air hot from the animal's body, has its moisture con- 



