9"1 OCCUPATIONS 173 



that they will not necessarily lead the ponies which they now 

 tend. 



Wilson is very busy making sketches. 



Tuesday, April 28. It was comparatively calm all day 

 yesterday and last night, and there have been light airs only 

 from the south to-day. The temperature, at first compara- 

 tively high at -5 , has gradually fallen to - 13 ; as a result 

 the Strait has frozen over at last and it looks as though the 

 Hut Point party should be with us before very long. If the 

 blizzards hold off for another three days the crossing should be 

 perfectly safe, but I don't expect Meares to hurry. 



Although we had very good sunset effects at Hut Point, 

 Ponting and others were much disappointed with the absence 

 of such effects at Cape Evans. This was probably due to the 

 continual interference of frost smoke; since our return here and 

 especially yesterday and to-day the sky and sea have been glorious 

 in the afternoon. 



Ponting has taken some coloured pictures, but the result 

 is not very satisfactory and the plates are much spotted; Wilson 

 is very busy with pencil and brush. 



Atkinson is unpacking and setting up his sterilizers and 

 incubators. Wright is wrestling with the electrical instruments. 

 Evans is busy surveying the Cape and its vicinity. Oates is 

 reorganising the stable, making bigger stalls, &c. Cherry- 

 Garrard is building a stone house for taxidermy and with a 

 view to getting hints for making a shelter at Cape Crozier 

 during the winter. Debenham and Taylor are taking advantage 

 of the last of the light to examine the topography of the penin- 

 sula. In fact, everyone is extraordinarily busy. 



I came back with the impression that we should not find 

 our winter walks so interesting as those at Hut Point, but I'm 

 rapidly altering my opinion; we may miss the hill climbing 

 here, but in every direction there is abundance of interest. To- 

 day I walked round the shores of the North Bay examining 

 the kenyte cliffs and great masses of morainic material of the 

 Barne Glacier, then on under the huge blue ice cliffs of the 

 Glacier itself. With the sunset lights, deep shadows, the black 

 islands and white bergs it was all very beautiful. 



Simpson and Bowers sent up a balloon to-day with a double 

 thread and instrument attached; the line was checked at about 3 



