GULF OF ANADYK. 97 



drift of the Gulf of Anadyr, the sea here is rarely 

 frozen over, and then insecurely : it was now quite 

 open, a speck on the horizon, evidently the land 

 floe blown off by the wind, now strong and cold from 

 the northward, being the only ice visible. This open 

 water is very favourable to the natives, who have thus 

 a chance of catching whales and walrus during the 

 winter season ; the matter is of no consequence as 

 regards seals, as they will bite through the ice to 

 reach the surface, where they love to lie, alone or in 

 numbers, frequently for hours. 



