Chap. IX. PARRY'S POLAR VOYAGE. 30o 



on their return ; the permanency of the southern 

 current, for so it would seem, afforded them the 

 satisfaction of feeling, that whatever length of jour- 

 ney they made to the northward would be so 

 much gain, and no back-sliding; every mile would 

 tell ; they had, moreover, the advantage which 

 is noticed by Parry, of getting rid of the glare 

 from the snow, on account of the lowness of the 

 sun at night, as also the comfortable change when 

 looking out for the road ; and had the sun be- 

 hind them, instead of facing it, as on the out- 

 ward journey. Nothing very remarkable occurred 

 on. their return. A quantity of snow was met with, 

 tinged to the depth of several inches with some 

 red colouring matter : this red snow occurred in 

 two or three spots, some of which they bottled, 

 and found, on examination in England by Sir 

 William Hooker, as former specimens were, to be 

 the Palmella nivalis, one of the Algae, and which, 

 long before, Bauer had pronounced to be Uredo 

 nivalis. 



"A fat she-bear crossed over a lane of water to visit us, 

 and approaching the boats within twenty yards, was killed 

 by Lieut. Ross. The scene which followed was laughable, 

 even to us who participated in it. Before the animal had 

 done biting the snow, one of the men was alongside of her 

 with an open knife, and being asked what he was about to 

 do, replied, that he was going to cut out the heart and liver, 

 to put into the pot which happened to be then boiling for 

 our supper. In short, before the bear had been dead an 



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