AMONGST THE SOUTHERN ICE. 253 



densed to form a sort of rain, and the colder the air, just as in 

 the case of our own breath, the more marked the result. 



When the spout is made with the blowhole clear above the 

 surface of the water, it appears like a sudden jet of steam from 

 a boiler. When effected, as it sometimes is, before the blowhole 

 reaches the surface, a low fountain as from a street fire-plug is 

 formed, and when the hole is close to the surface, at the moment 

 a little water is sent up with the tall jet of steam. The cloud 

 blown up does not disappear at once, but hangs a little while, 

 and is often seen to drift a short distance with the wind. 



The expiratory sound is very loud when heard close by, and 

 is a sort of deep bass snort, extremely loud, and somewhat pro- 

 longed ; it might even be compared to the sound produced by 

 the rushing of steam at high pressure from a large pipe. 



Smaller Cetaceans, probably of a kind of Grampus (Orca), 

 were very common near the Circle ; these had a high dorsal fin 

 placed at about the middle of the length of their bodies. Im- 

 mediately behind the fin there was a large white saddle-shaped 

 patch, extending across their back, and they had further a con- 

 spicuous white blotch on each side just behind the head, and in 

 front of the flippers. The white patches contrasted strongly 

 with the dark general colour of the body. These Grampuses 

 swam about in small shoals with their high dorsal fins projecting 

 far out of the water, like those of sharks do sometimes, and 

 also those of Sword-fish. The Grampuses seemed habitually to 

 swim thus, and the group of pointed sickle-shaped black objects 

 moving through the water, had a curious appearance at a dis- 

 tance. I cannot identify this Grampus with a described species. 



As soon as we neared the edge of the pack ice, a petrel 

 which we had not seen at the islands we had left, became 

 common (Thalassceca glacialoides), and as soon as we reached 

 the ice we fell in with the beautiful snow-white Petrel (Pago- 

 droma nivea), which is never to be found far from the antarctic 

 ice. The bird flies very much like the Whale Bird (Prion) : it 

 settles on the water to feed ; it remains on the wing late at 

 night when the other birds have disappeared. I have seen the 

 birds flying about the ship as late as 11 o'clock at night, when 

 it was quite dusk. 



