1912] A BIRTHDAY IOI 
July 13.—A lovely morning. The sky orange and saffron 
in the north about noon. Spent the day carrying meat up. The 
wind got back to its old quarter in the afternoon, and came on 
to blow hard and very cold, punishing us badly as we struggled 
up with the meat. 
The thin ice that had formed over the bay during the last 
few days blew out. I do not think this bay will ever be safe to 
travel on, so we shall have to take the Drygalski ice tongue route 
and march later. 
July 20.—It has been blowing since the 14th, but being clear 
we have been able to get out every day. To-day being Priestley’s 
birthday we allowed him to do no work and served out six lumps 
of sugar, a stick of chocolate, and twenty raisins. A sing-song 
followed in the evening. Altogether:a most successful day. 
July 24.—The wind got round to the southward yesterday 
and came on to blow really hard, and is blowing great guns now. 
July 26.—The wind dropped suddenly, after blowing a hard 
gale since the 24th. Priestley and I got down to our last kill and 
found the bay ice had broken away to within 3 or 4 feet of the 
carcases, but none of the meat had gone, for which we were very 
thankful. In the afternoon it was blowing very hard again, and 
we all got frostbitten carrying up the meat. 
July 31.—After two days of warm snowy weather with a 
moderate S.E. breeze the wind has again swung to the west and 
is blowing a gale. Signs and tracks of seals are numerous and 
we have seen several swimming near the ice foot. I think our 
lean days are over. 
August 3.—It has been blowing the same hard westerly 
wind, clear and cold. Browning got his hand badly frostbitten 
getting sea ice. It ‘went’ right up to the wrist and he was a 
long time bringing it round. 
I walked over to the piedmont in the afternoon to look for 
some penguins we had depoted there. The bay ice had held 
well. On the piedmont it was blowing hard, with drift, but evi- 
dently a low level wind, as half-way up the hills at an altitude of 
about 1000 feet lay a thin stratus cloud, above which there was 
no drift off the hills. The sky was very fine to the north. 
August 7.—To-day and yesterday have been very warm, 
the weather overcast, with snow and drift, and our door con- 
tinually drifting up. Abbott and Browning improved the en- 
