SUMMER CRUISE 59 
solid ice near the mouth of the inlet. The whales come in July 
and sport about the mouth of the inlet until the ice breaks up, 
when they either follow the solid edge in its retreat up the inlet, 
or pass southward along the coast. In former years at least 
half of the whales taken by the Scotch whaling fleet were cap- 
tured in the vicinity of Ponds inlet. 
Owing to the northwest trend of the South shore the inlet 
gradually narrows as it is ascended, so that about fifteen miles 
above Button point, where a high rocky island terminates the 
southern point, the distance from shore to shore does not greatly 
exceed three miles. Farther westward it again broadens to 
twice that distance, and so continues until, turning north, it 
bounds the western side of Bylot island, where it is known as 
Navy Board inlet. Two long narrow bays pierce deep into the 
comparatively flat country of northern Baffin island from the 
neighbourhood of the bend, and a very fine salmon river empties 
into the more eastern bay. At the time of our visit the western 
end of the inlet was still filled with ice, making it impossible 
to visit this portion. 
About ten miles beyond the narrows we came to anchor close 
under the steep clay banks of the drift plain on the south side 
of the inlet, and alongside the Scotch Whalers Eclipse and 
Diana. Shortly after, we were visited by Captain Milne, Cap- 
tain Adams and Mr. Much of the Albert. 
A great deal of valuable information concerning whales and 
whaling, as well as about the ice currents and other points relat- 
ing to the Arctics, was obtained from these gentlemen, all of 
whom have had many years' experience in these regions. Much 
of this information has been used in the article on whaling, 
which is printed later in this report. 
Finding that Arctic salmon were plentiful at the mouth of 
the little river about a mile from the ships, a small net was 
borrowed, and two boats were sent away to secure a supply of 
