ELECTRICAL INSTRUMENTS 191 



— both statements seemed unlikely. It would not be strange 

 if the young Adelie had to learn to swim (it is a well-known re- 

 quirement of the Northern fur seal — sea bear), but it will be 

 interesting to see in how far the adult birds lay themselves out 

 to instruct their progeny. 



During our trip to the ice and sledge journey one of our 

 dogs, Vaida, was especially distinguished for his savage temper 

 and generally uncouth manners. He became a bad wreck with 

 his poor coat at Hut Point, and in this condition I used to 

 massage him; at first the operation was mistrusted and only 

 continued to the accompaniment of much growling, but later he 

 evidently grew to like the warming effect and sidled up to me 

 whenever I came out of the hut, though still with some suspicion. 

 On returning here he seemed to know me at once, and now comes 

 and buries his head in my legs whenever I go out of doors; he 

 allows me to rub him and push him about without the slightest 

 protest and scampers about me as I walk abroad. He is a 

 strange beast — I imagine so unused to kindness that it took him 

 time to appreciate it. 



Tuesday, May 1 6. — The north wind continued all night but 

 dropped this forenoon. Conveniently it became calm at noon 

 and we had a capital game of football. The light is good 

 enough, but not much more than good enough, for this game. 



Had some instruction from Wright this morning on the 

 electrical instruments. 



Later went into our carbide expenditure with Day: am glad 

 to find it sufficient for two years, but am not making this gen- 

 erally known as there are few things In which economy is less 

 studied than light if regulations allow of waste. 



Electrical Instruments 



For measuring the ordinary potential gradient we have two 

 self-recording quadrant electrometers. The principle of this 

 instrument is the same as that of the old Kelvin instrument; 

 the clockwork attached to it unrolls a strip of paper wound on 

 a roller; at intervals the needle of the instrument is depressed 

 by an electromagnet and makes a dot on the moving paper. The 

 relative position of these dots forms the record. One of our 

 instruments is adjusted to give only Vioth the refinement of 



