I9II] CONTINUED WINDS 199 



out receiving a very satisfactory answer. After all, such terms 

 must be empirical. 



Thursday, May 25. — It has been blowing from south with 

 heavy gusts and snow, temperature extraordinarily high, - 6°. 

 This has been a heavy gale. The weather conditions are cer- 

 tainly very interesting; Simpson has again called attention to 

 the wind in February, March, and April at Cape Evans — the 

 record shows an extraordinary large percentage of gales. It is 

 quite certain that we scarcely got a fraction of the wind on the 

 Barrier and doubtful if we got as much at Hut Point. 



Friday, May 26. — A calm and clear day — a nice change from 

 recent weather. It makes an enormous difference to the enjoy- 

 ment of this life if one is able to get out and stretch one's legs 

 every day. This morning I went up the Ramp. No sign of open 

 water, so that my fears for a broken highway in the coming 

 season are now at rest. In future gales can only be a temporary 

 annoyance — anxiety as to their result is finally allayed. 



This afternoon I searched out ski and ski sticks and went 

 for a short run over the floe. The surface is quite good since the 

 recent snowfall and wind. This is satisfactory, as sledging can 

 now be conducted on ordinary lines, and if convenient our parties 

 can pull on ski. The young ice troubles of April and May 

 have passed away. It is curious that circumstances caused us 

 to miss them altogether during our stay in the Discovery. 



We are living extraordinarily well. At dinner last night we 

 had some excellent thick seal soup, very much like thick hare 

 soup; this was followed by an equally tasty seal steak and kidney 

 pie and a fruit jelly. The smell of frying greeted us on awaking 

 this morning, and at breakfast each of us had two of our nutty 

 little Notothenia fish after our bowl of porridge. These little 

 fish have an extraordinarily sweet taste — bread and butter and 

 marmalade finished the meal. At the midday meal we had 

 bread and butter, cheese, and cake, and to-night I smell mutton 

 in the preparation. Under the circumstances it would be difli- 

 cult to conceive more appetising repasts or a regime which is 

 likely to produce scorbutic symptoms. I cannot think w^e shall 

 get scurvy. 



Nelson lectured to us to-night, giving a very able little ele- 

 mentary sketch of the objects of the biologist. A fact struck 

 one in his explanation of the rates of elimination. Two of the 





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