I9II] INVERTED TEMPERATURES 177 



Bay. Went on past Inaccessible Island. The ice outside the 

 bergs has grown very thick, 14 inches or more, but there were 

 freshly frozen pools beyond the Island. 



In the evening Wilson opened the lecture series with a paper 

 on ' Antarctic Flying Birds.' Considering the limits of the sub- 

 ject the discussion was interesting. The most attractive point 

 raised was that of pigmentation. Does the absence of pigment 

 suggest absence of reserve energy? Does it increase the in- 

 sulating properties of the hair or feathers? Or does the animal 

 clothed in white radiate less of his internal heat? The most 

 interesting example of Polar colouring here is the increased pro- 

 portion of albinos amongst the giant petrels found in high 

 latitudes. 



To-day have had our first game of football; a harassing 

 southerly wind sprang up, which helped my own side to the 

 extent of three goals. 



This same wind came with a clear sky and jumped up and 

 down in force throughout the afternoon, but has died away 

 to-night. In the afternoon I saw an ominous lead outside the 

 Island which appeared to extend a long way south. I'm much 

 afraid it may go across our pony track from Hut Point. I am 

 getting anxious to have the hut party back, and begin to wonder 

 if the ice to the south will ever hold in permanently now that 

 the Glacier Tongue has gone. 



Wednesday, May 3. — Another calm day, very beautiful and 

 clear. Wilson and Bowers took our few dogs for a run in a 

 sledge. Walked myself out over ice in North Bay — there are a 

 good many cracks and pressures with varying thickness of ice, 

 showing how tide and wind shift the thin sheets — the newest 

 leads held young ice of 4 inches. 



The temperature remains high, the lowest yesterday — 13°; 

 it should be much lower with such calm weather and clear 

 skies. A strange fact is now very commonly noticed: in calm 

 weather there is usually a difference of 4° or 5° between the 

 temperature at the hut and that on Wind Vane Hill (64 feet), 

 the latter being the higher. This shows an inverted temperature. 



As I returned from my walk the southern sky seemed to 

 grow darker, and later stratus cloud was undoubtedly spreading 

 up from that direction — this at about 5 P.M. About 7 a moder- 

 ate north wind sprang up. This seemed tq, indicate a southerly 



VOL. I — 12 



