1911] DAYS GROWING SHORTER 149 



ridge yesterday and came to the conclusion that a compara- 

 tively thin shaft of air was moving along the ridge from Erebus. 

 On either side of the ridge it seemed to pour down from the 

 ridge itself — there was practically no wind on the sea ice off 

 Pram Point, and to the westward of Hut Point the frost smoke 

 was drifting to the N.W. The temperature ranges about zero. 

 It seems to be almost certain that the perpetual wind is due to 

 the open winter. Meanwhile the sea refuses to freeze over, 



Wright pointed out the very critical point which zero tem- 

 perature represents in the freezing of salt water, being the freez- 

 ing temperature of concentrated brine — a very few degrees above 

 or below zero would make all the difference to the rate of in- 

 crease of the ice thickness. 



Yesterday the ice was 8 inches in places east of Cape Arml- 

 tage and 6 inches in our Bay: it was said to be fast to the 

 south of the Glacier Tongue well beyond Turtleback Island 

 and to the north out of the Islands, except for a strip of water 

 immediately north of the Tongue. 



We are good for another week In pretty well every com- 

 modity and shall then have to reduce luxuries. But we have 

 plenty of seal meat, blubber and biscuit, and can therefore remain 

 for a much longer period if needs be. Meanwhile the days are 

 growing shorter and the weather colder. 



Saturday, April i. — The wind yesterday was blowing across 

 the Ridge from the top down on the sea to the west: very little 

 wind on the eastern slopes and practically none at Pram Point. 

 A seal came up in our Bay and was killed. Taylor found a 

 number of fish frozen into the sea ice — he says there are several 

 in a small area. 



The pressure ridges in Pram Point Bay are estimated by 

 Wright to have set up about 3 feet. This ice has been ' in ' 

 about ten days. It is now safe to work pretty well anywhere 

 south of Hut Point. 



Went to Third Crater (next Castle Rock) yesterday. The 

 ice seems to be holding in the near Bay from a point near Hulton 

 Rocks to Glacier; also in the whole of the North Bay except 

 for a tongue of open water immediately north of the Glacier. 



The wind is the same to-day as yesterday, and the open 

 water apparently not reduced by a square yard. I'm feeling 

 impatient. 



