i 9 ii] DEEP-SEA BIRDS 251 



to its original position, with its snout resting on the floe. The 

 men amused themselves by pelting it with little bits of coal and 

 other missiles, of which it appeared to be entirely unconscious. 

 The grooves on their throats were plainly seen, quite clearly 

 enough to count accurately; and sometimes even their mous- 

 taches could be distinctly made out, as also the white band on the 

 flipper. 



Fortunately (or unfortunately) the whale gun was out of 

 action, and so there was no necessity to try and procure a speci- 

 men for biological purposes. Whales kept close to 



March 4, . . . ... . , r , , 



1911, 67 n' the ship till noon on the 4th, when, the pack having 

 S., 160 47' eased up, steam was again put on the engines and she 



was able to make appreciable way. 



The ship passed only some ten miles west of Young Island 

 (one of the Balleny Group), but although it was a 



March, 5 V. 11 V i i i 



ign, 66 j/ sunny day all the balleny Islands were covered in 

 S.,i6i 42' clouds, and no useful bearings could be taken. 



At last, on March 8, when in 64 23' S., 161 

 39' E., she cleared the last of the pack, and in half an hour sooty 

 albatross were round the ship, a sure sign that no pack was north 

 of her. 



The next fortnight was a struggle for the ship to keep to 

 windward, the wind obstinately holding to the north side of 

 west and generally blowing hard. Although so light, she was 

 much stiffer than expected. 



To the seaman of the present day used to iron ships it is 

 a never-failing source of surprise and delight to see a wooden 

 ship in a heavy sea. How nicely she rides the waves, like a living 

 being, instead of behaving like a half-submerged rock. 



The albatross and other deep-sea birds were a great pleas- 

 ure; while south of Lat. 60 the pretty Hour-glass dolphin (first 

 noticed by Dr. Wilson in the Discovery) was often round the 

 ship. 



On the 22nd, when ninety miles south of the Macquarie 

 Islands, the long hoped for fair wind came at last and held till 

 ,, , we made Stewart Island. On the 23rd steam was 



March 22, . . - J 



1911, 56 9' again raised. 



S-, 159 *lf The pumps had been a nuisance throughout, and 



during a gale on the 24th the trouble came to a head: 



the ship was heeling between 40 and 45 degrees and jumping 



