ANTARCTIC LAND OF VICTORIA—-ZIMMERMANN. 345 
high enough to melt the ice fields from the under surface; finally the 
pressure which the fringing glaciers of the coast never ceased to 
exert upon the ice fields. The sea ice is thus broken by a slow, al- 
most imperceptible movement which tends to push it out to sea and 
which Mr. Ferrar calls “creep.” It thus finds itself in proper condi- 
tion to undergo destruction by the swell of the sea during the summer 
months. 
In general, the fringe of ice which encircles the coast is of land 
origin and comes from the accumulation of snow. There are, never- 
theless, examples of ice bunches of purely marine origin, veritable 
“ice feet,” in the class of the great arctic “ice feet,” but much 
more restricted in size, rarely attaining a thickness of more than 6 
feet. Mr. Ferrar cites an example of this in Granite Harbor. 
This kind of a fringe acts toward the land in a conservative role, 
retarding erosion by impeding the direct action of heavy surf and in 
cementing the loose débris and transforming it into a talus protecting 
the cliffs. 
Ill. METHOROLOGY. 
The data brought back by the Discovery relative to the climate of 
Victoria Land are of equal interest with the geological or glacial ob- 
servations. The winter station, so favorable to long excursions, com- 
mended itself first by its advanced polar situation (77° 50’ 50” 
south latitude and 166° 44’ 45’’ longitude east from Greenwich). 
The selection was, moreover, very fortunate because in the midst of 
the large MacMurdo Sound, surrounded by a circle of low hills, 
largely bare, the observations would convey a better idea of the true 
climate of the region and would not be vitiated by foehn phenomena 
or by the excessive protection of the high hills. Moreover, it was pos- 
sible to observe with great precision the direction of the currents of 
the upper air by the behavior of the column of smoke from Mount 
Erebus. 
Below are given some of the mean monthly temperatures, deducted 
from the bihoral observations covering a period of two years (Feb- 
ruary, 1902-February, 1904) : 
Degrees 
centigrade. 
AIG TDG hii e5 ann ed NE) Ree ee ee 3 ke) Oe ee eae See nya eer — 4.4 
ENE) ODI 1S ncn oO eee ey OE ur oa) POE EOP Ta ee a ag eee = BL 
TNs SVT) ee ne YS nS eee ee a225 1105'S 
Ny Chg VES ee Pe ee a eee PS 
TA ny Ee SS el a ee ee aE Pe Pale Les 2009 
AD AURT Ce pee oN IgA ag Bn ne pA eR SR i iP he 8 et SOs all 
UU yer ta as ech nn | ot aah oot eof aah epee NG ee alk ns 8 Eee PAY) 
SNGDEEAD ES eee ean ee ened tS og Be ee ee ee ee Po) 
SSIS) OURS) ddl] OER even ee eae eee pee Pee ee Se ee eee Eee Onted 
OCOD CI a aan ee Ses er = NP Foe Reaping’ wall) IE = 2B 
INO MED Creer eae, So enone de atee ea eee te © Latte WK Lg 8 2s See =I) 
ATS) €2@ Gr fy eget a a id he NE St ee lg 8 = al 
N 
PACTUTD VT SU aes ek eee ee oe en Be Salen 
