254: A NATURALIST ON THE " CHALLENGER." 



Besides these two petrels we saw when at the edge of the 

 pack, the Sooty albatross (Diomedea fuliginosa), the Giant petrel 

 (Ossifraga gigantea), Majaquens cequinoctialis and the Cape 

 pigeon. These birds all left us when we entered the edge of 

 the pack-ice, they appear to remain at its very margin ; but in 

 the ice we met with a Skua (Stercorarius antarcticus), which bird 

 ranges very far south, and was seen in Possession Island within 

 the Antarctic Circle by Eoss. 



Penguins were common at the edge of the ice. They pro- 

 gressed through the water like Eock-hoppers, and probably were 

 the Eudyptes Adelicc of Eoss's Expedition, since they had black 

 heads ; we could not catch any, though we tried to get some 

 which were on an ice-block ; they seemed shy. 



We seldom saw birds on the icebergs, but a flock of Cape 

 pigeons was sometimes seen roosting on the top of one. The 

 Great White Albatross {Diomedea exidans) accompanied the ship 

 only about 500 miles south of Heard Island, stopping at more 

 than 200 miles from the edge of the pack. 



The Cape pigeon left us when we were in about the latitude 

 of Kerguelen's Land, on our return from the ice northwards to 

 Australia, and in exchange for it we fell in with a petrel like 

 the Mutton-bird, which bird had not accompanied us south. 

 We also met at the same time with a second species of albatross 



(J), melanophrys ? ). 



The last iceberg was seen by us on March 4th, in about the 

 latitude of Heard Island. On March 9th, the South Australian 

 current began to make itself felt, and the air became warm and 

 pleasant. We gave up fires, and the sea being calm, were able for 

 the first time since leaving Kerguelen's Land to take out our 

 scuttles and air our cabins. On March 12th, we were within 

 the westerly winds, and we had more albatrosses round the ship 

 than we had ever had before ; the Gony and D. melanophrys. 



Appended are the summaries of the temperatures of the air 

 during the months of January and February, observed in the 

 Antarctic regions on board H.M. ships " Erebus " and " Terror." 



