94 Sontherti Cross. 



Fehniarij IGth. — Have seen a number of the Brown-backed Petrel 

 to-day, all flying towards the east. Have also seen an Ossifraga gigantea 

 and a grey Petrel. 



February 17 th {the day ive anchored at Gape Adare). — Borchgrevink 

 and the whole staff landed. B. and I carried guns, as we intended 

 to shoot some Seals as food for the dogs. I killed sixteen Seals of a kind 

 we had not seen before.^ The stomach of one Seal was opened, and I 

 found it quite full of a kind of small fish like AVhitings. Of birds we saw 

 the little Penguin ; 0. oceanicus ; Megalestris maccormichi, and 0. gigantea. 

 Of this last we observed four albinos. Borchgrevink shot four Megalestris. 

 Before we landed we saw hundreds of a small fin Whale. The majority 

 of the Penguins have left now ; those we saw were still in the moulting 

 stage. 



March '2nd. — We have killed some Seals and Penguins to-day for food 

 for the dogs. Found an embryo, about 4^ inch long, in one of the Seals. 

 Unfortunately this was not preserved. 



March 3rd. — I had some sport to-day. Borchgrevink asked me to 

 shoot some Skuas, as they do us a great deal of damage by eating 

 and carrying away the Seal- and Penguin-meat we have stored for the 

 dogs. I killed eighty-two in ninety-one shots, all on the wing. Colbeck 

 killed a large Seal to-day in which was found an embryo about 5 inches 

 long. The stomach was full of renniants of fish and a large number of 

 intestinal worms. 



March 4//*.— The bay in which the ^Southern Cross' was lying is now 

 filled with heavy ice, so that, if the ship had still been here, she would 

 never have emerged again. The ice brought with it a number of Seals, so 

 that there would have been a good opportunity to lay in a considerable stock 

 of food for the dogs and as fuel, if we had had time to look after them. I 

 only killed one Seal to-day ; it was a fine specimen of Lobodon carcino- 

 2)hagus, with uncommonly big teeth and a number of old scars on the skin. 

 In the stomach only sand and pebbles were found, and also some round 

 intestinal worms. All the other Seals seen to-day have been Leptony- 

 chotes weddeUi. Saw a Pagodroma nivea to-day. 



March dth (Sunday). — Have done a little work outside and inside, 

 putting things to-rights. We have also had some rifle practice. 



March 1th. — The number of birds is now rapidly decreasing since the 

 ice came, so there are now only a few left. Penguins (Pygoscelis adelise), 

 Megalestris maccormiclii, Ossifraga gigantea, and Oceanites oceanicus are 

 now only to be found singly. The Seals (Leptonychotes) are still as 

 numerous as before. 



March 9th. — Yesterday I observed an 0. oceanicns performing evolu- 

 tions high up in the air, at a height of about 200-300 metres, like a Swift. 

 I have often observed these birds, both when I was on board the ship and 

 also after we landed here, flying round the ship and the house in the 

 evenings after dark, like Bats, which they very much resemble in their 

 flight. Yesterday I observed a Penguin walking round the house as if 

 saying " Good-bye " to us. To-day none are observed, neither on land nor 

 on the sea. 



March 12^7*. — Of the birds there are now only a few left. Once 

 in a while a solitary individual is seen. Seals are proportionally more 

 ^ Leptonychotes iveddclli. — R. B. S. 



