1902] A GLACIER TONGUE 155 



well as curious, effects. In places the rush of the stream had 

 undercut the channel till the bank overhung its base by many 

 feet, leaving a deep cave beneath, in which the intensest shades 

 of blue could be observed, whilst from the overlapping edge 

 hung a fringe of sparkling icicles ; in others a platform of 

 stones and rubble stood poised on a slender shaft of ice, high 

 above the bed of the stream ; here the water had run placidly 

 over a smooth, polished ice-floor, and there its surface had 

 been broken as it glided over a bank of rounded boulders. 

 From the ship it had seemed that the disturbed ice would 

 not rise more than breast-high as one stood amongst it, but 

 as one descended into the courses of these streams the fan- 

 tastically twisted pinnacles of ice rose high above one's head 

 and completely shut out all view of the ship and the moun- 

 tainous scene beyond. 



' We found on the ice the skeleton of a fish eighteen inches 

 in length, probably carried here by a seal ; it is interesting to 

 find that fishes of such size exist in these cold seas. Off the 

 edge of the ice we got a sounding in ninety- five fathoms, and 

 whilst the ship was being swung for her compasses, a small 

 dredge produced a fairly rich haul of animals from the bottom. 

 Our biologist, Hodgson, being on the sick list with a chill, we 

 proceeded to make this catch with all possible secrecy, hoping 

 to reward him with the result ; but, unfortunately, the secret 

 leaked out, and, zeal overcoming caution, our sick man was 

 soon in the thick of it, with openly expressed scorn for our 

 amateurish efforts ; entreaties had to be extended to commands 

 before, for his own sake, he could be driven back into the 

 milder atmosphere below, 



' Rounding this tongue of ice we found our further progress 

 to the south barred by a sheet of fast sea-ice, and skirting along 

 the edge of this, we now find ourselves steering almost due 

 east, and heading towards the long ridge of small uncovered 

 hills which extends from the southern slopes of Erebus, and 

 ends in an abrupt and conspicuous cape which we hope will 

 point us yet further south.' 



It was 8 P.M. before we found that the ice edge which we 



