268 SCOTS LAST EXPEDITION [DEcEMBER 
Dec. 29, On comparison with the records of earlier voy- 
ee ages it will be seen that the northern limit of the pack 
W. this year lay two degrees farther south than found 
on voyages made in more western longitudes. 
The only other expedition that has explored this part of the 
Ross Sea was that under Sir James Ross, who found a line of 
compact hummocky ice in the same position in 1842; this con- 
firmation throws some light on the trend of the pack in this 
quadrant. . 
We had expected to meet with pack ice on crossing the Ant- 
arctic circle, and our expectations not being realised, the ship’s 
company looked forward to an almost ice free voyage to the 
Ross Sea. r 
Our hopes were frustrated. The day after entering the 
pack we encountered heavy bay ice, which retarded us to such 
an extent that we could scarcely make more than one mile 
an hour on our course. We had a tremendous struggle this 
season to get into the Ross Sea at all, and not until we had 
fought our way for over 400 miles did we really get through the 
pack. 
The weather conditions this season were all that we could 
wish for, and we had plenty of time at our disposal to carry 
out our scientific programme. When our way was barred by tem- 
porary congestion of the pack Pennell, Rennick, and Lillie would 
all get ahead with magnetic, deep-sea sounding, and biological 
work, mostly under favourable conditions. 
Occasionally the sea was so discoloured by diatoms that we 
might have been steaming in the Thames estuary, and then again 
the discoloured area would be succeeded by belts of beautiful 
blue water wherein one could see crab-eater seals diving under 
the ship. 
Quite the most fascinating sight in the pack ice was the ex- 
hibition of swimming by two crab-eaters in the open water leads 
on New Year’s Day. They followed the ship and disported 
themselves like dolphins; when we were forced to stop owing 
to the closeness of the pack the two seals rubbed themselves 
along the side of the ship. 
We were disappointed at seeing no Ross seals this year, for 
we have secured no specimens of this animal at all. 
By January 5 we had worked through 168 miles of pack, 
