84 



Southern Cross. 



ca^ensis. Our old acquaintance, the Dajytion, has also appeared again. 

 Besides these four kinds of birds, I have also to-day observed six different 

 species : Diomedeafuliginosa, D. melcmophrys, Ci/modroma grallaria, Fregetta 

 melanogaster, Oceanites oceanicus, CEstrelata Jessoni and Prion vittatus.^ The 

 last-named species is the only one which has followed us in among the ice ; 

 the others left us before we sighted it. Have seen some Whales to-day. 

 One immense fellow we saw after we got in among the ice. Some ice- 

 floes were of a yellow colour, which I at first thought to be caused by 

 mineral dust, but afterwards I found it to be Algse. 



December 31st. — I was called at 3 a.m. by Borchgrevink, who came 

 down to fetch a gun and cartridges, as a White Seal was lying on an ice- 

 floe close to the ship. I hurried up on deck, but he had disappeared before 

 I came up. We saw, however, a Brown Seal in the water, but the gun 

 missed fire, and at the same moment he dived, and we saw him no more. 

 Borchgrevink, who had been on deck all night, went below, but requested 

 me to look out for Seals so that we could get some food for the dogs. I 

 stayed, therefore, on the bridge till 5 a.m. without seeing any Seal, when I 

 went below, after having ordered the second mate to call me in case he saw 

 any animals. I had barely covered myself up in my bunk, when one of 

 the Finns came down calling out, " Hanson, there is a Seal on the ice ! " I 

 jumped out of my bed and got my trousers and slippers on, and ran on 

 deck. In my hurry I took only an old needle-rifle with copper cartridges 

 and a seal-pick with me. With two men in the boat I set off" from the 

 ship and pulled towards the Seal under cover of a hummock on the 

 ice-floe on which it was lying. I came close up to it, and saw that 

 it was a large male of the White Seal. He was lying on a tolerably large 

 floe, and when I landed on this, I could approach him under shelter of a 

 piece of ice. My rifle came quickly to my shoulder, but it missed fire 

 with the five cartridges I had brought with me, and as the Seal now 

 began to move, I threw away the rifle and rushed on him with my seal- 

 pick. The Seal tried to escape, but I gave him a blow with the pick. 

 It glanced off" his skull, and he immediately turned on me and rose 

 up from the ice as if to get on the top of me ; and as I had sunk in the 

 snow above my knees, I could not get away from him. I therefore again 

 dealt him a blow with the pick. This blow fell on his neck, but did not 

 manage to stun him. I had now, however, so strong a hold on him that 

 I could keep him away from me, and as I soon extricated myself from the 

 snow, I jumped on to his back ; and now began a fight worse than the 

 first, for he turned himself round and rolled over me, but luckily without 

 getting hold of me with his teeth, for I had still the pick firmly fixed in 

 his neck. We rolled over again, and at last I staggered to my feet and 

 gave him another blow on the skull, and as one of the sailors in the boat 

 now came to my assistance and dealt him some blows on the nose with 

 a boat-hook, he was soon killed. I have not felt well all day after 

 this fight, for it is not the most healthy occupation to have a big Seal 

 dancing about on one's chest. After I had again been in my bunk for 

 half an hour, I was called up by the cry, " Seal on a floe ! " This time I 

 took my shot-gun and cartridges with explosive bullets. This new Seal 

 was even bigger than the first, and measured 10 feet 7 inches in length. 

 It was a female Leopard-Seal. By the way she behaved, it was evident 



' This list appears in Mr. Borchgrevink's book (p. 54). 



