86 Southern Cross. 



through his ribs. This stopped him, and to make quite sure of him I sent 

 two bullets through his head. The ship was steered towards him, and we 

 got him on board. It was a fine young Leopard-Seal. Like the one 

 Borchgrevink killed, his stomach was full of small shrimps. When the 

 Captain came down from the mast-head, he told me that he had seen a Seal 

 at some distance from the ship. As the vessel was now lying fast in the ice 

 again, the Captain, Fougner and I set out on "Shi " for that Seal. Fougner 

 was armed with a seal-pick, and I with an old needle-gun. After looking 

 about for some time, we found the Seal near a large hummock, where I 

 killed him with two bullets. It was a large male of the White Seal. His 

 stomach was quite empty. I have also to-day shot four Cape Pigeons and 

 sixteen Ice Petrels. 



January 5th. — I was called at 7.30 a.m. to kill a Seal. It was a large 

 specimen of the common White Seal. While I was on the ice later in the 

 day, I saw a large white bird with a few black spots flying out of range. 

 It was presumably one of the same kind that I saw at sea on the 30th of 

 October last year. Borchgrevink called it Procellaria gigantea. To-day 

 I bagged eight Ice-Petrels. 



January Qth. — When we stopped to-day, four Seals were seen on the 

 ice. Borchgrevink, Colbeck, Bernacchi and I went in one of the small 

 canvas boats to shoot two which were lying some distance off on the star- 

 board side among some small hummocks. In order not to spoil the 

 cranium, which I wanted for the collection, I fired a shot into the ribs of 

 one of the Seals, but he appeared to be as lively as ever, so I had to give 

 him a ball in the neck, which settled him. The skin of this Seal was like 

 that of all the others I had shot as regards colour ; but when I skeleton- 

 ised the cranium, I found that the latter was quite different from those 

 we had caught before, and it may be that I have obtained a very rare 

 species. I cannot find a name for it in any of my books. Later in the 

 day I shot a Giant Petrel. 



January Sth. — Fougner and I went out on " Shi " to shoot an Emperor 

 Penguin, but he went into the water before 1 came within range. Saw 

 some Mutton-bii-ds while I was away. At 3 p.m. the Captain came down 

 from the mast-head and told me that he had seen two Seals on the ice 

 about a couple of English miles astern of the ship. I went with him up 

 to the maintop to get the bearings of the place where the Seals lay. The 

 second mate had also seen them from the mast-head, and he wanted to go 

 with me. We were in all seven men, who set out armed with seal-picks. 

 I was the only one who carried a gun. The ice was very bad, and we had 

 not gone far before the second mate fell through a hole and got soaked, 

 for he had no " Shi." We, who had " Shi," fared better, although in some 

 places we slid along only on a thick layer of snow-slush, so we had to move 

 quickly in order not to sink through. We had not gone far before I 

 thought that we were going in a wrong direction according to my bearings, 

 but thinking that the second mate had a better idea of the locality than 

 myself, I said nothing. When, however, we were stopped by an open lane 

 of water, and as my three English companions were now fagged out and 

 wanted to return to the ship, I set out on my own account to find the 

 Seals. I had not gone far before I saw them lying by a large hummock. 

 When I came within range I found that there were three large White 

 Seals, instead of two. Three shots fired in as many seconds laid them low. 



