46 SCOTT'S LAST EXPEDITION [December 



These fish must be plentiful, as shown by our capture of 

 one on an overturned floe and the report of several seen two 

 days ago by some men leaning over the counter of the ship. 

 These all exclaimed together, and on inquiry all agreed that they 

 had seen half a dozen or more a foot or so in length swimming 

 away under a floe. Seals and penguins capture these fish, as 

 also, doubtless, the skuas and the petrels. 



Coming to the larger mammals, one occasionally sees the 

 long lithe sea leopard, formidably armed with ferocious teeth 

 and doubtless containing a penguin or two and perhaps a young 

 crab-eating seal. The killer whale (Orca gladiator), unap- 

 peasably voracious, devouring or attempting to devour every 

 smaller animal, is less common in the pack but numerous on the 

 coasts. Finally, we have the great browsing whales of various 

 species, from the vast blue whale (Balanoptera Sibbaldi) , the 

 largest mammal of all time, to the smaller and less common 

 bottle-nose and such species as have not yet been named. Great 

 numbers of these huge animals are seen, and one realises what 

 a demand they must make on their food supply and therefore 

 how immense a supply of small sea beasts these seas must con- 

 tain. Beneath the placid ice floes and under the calm water pools 

 the old universal warfare is raging incessantly in the struggle 

 for existence. 



Both morning and afternoon we have had brilliant sunshine, 

 and this afternoon all the after-guard lay about on the deck 

 sunning themselves. A happy, care-free group. 



10 P.M. We made our start at eight, and so far things look 

 well. We have found the ice comparatively thin, the floes 2 to 

 3 feet in thickness except where hummocked; amongst them are 

 large sheets from 6 inches to 1 foot in thickness as well as fairly 

 numerous water pools. The ship has pushed on well, covering 

 at least 3 miles an hour, though occasionally almost stopped by 

 a group of hummocked floes. The sky is overcast: stratus 

 clouds come over from the N.N.E. with wind in the same 

 direction soon after we started. This may be an advantage, 

 as the sails give great assistance and the officer of the watch 

 has an easier time when the sun is not shining directly in his 

 eyes. As I write the pack looks a little closer; I hope to 

 heavens it is not generally closing up again no sign of open 

 water to the south. Alas ! 



