POLAR-ICE. — DRIFTING. 285 



lution of the intervening bay-ice, the pieces gene- 

 rally spread abroad in a calm, so as to allow a free 

 passage for ships, which before, could not be urged 

 on by the power of the wind, combined with every ef- 

 fort of art. From the same cause, it is, that ice 

 which, with strong winds, is formed into streams or 

 patches, and allows a safe and commodious naviga- 

 tion amidst these large aggregations, will, on the 

 occurrence of two or three days of calm weather, be 

 disseminated into every opening, and seem to occu- 

 py every space, allowing only a troublesome and si- 

 nuous passage for ships. In this case, the dispersion 

 is so general, that scarcely any two pieces can be 

 said to touch each other. 



2. Openings in packs and among fields or floes, 

 frequently break out or disappear, without any appa- 

 rent cause. It is often of importance to the fisher 

 to determine, whether any space be in the course of 

 diminishing or enlarging. The freezing of the water 

 frequently affords an intimation of its closing, as it 

 rarely takes place to any considerable extent, on the 

 extension of the bounding ice. The birds likewise 

 instinctively leave the closing spaces, and fly in 

 search of such as are in the course of opening. 



The closing of heavy ice, encircling a quantity of 

 bay-ice, causes it to run together with such force, 

 that it overlaps wherever two sheets meet, until it 

 sometimes attains the thickness of many feet. In 

 this case, when a ship happens to be in the midst of 



