292 cruise OF THE NEPTUNE 
is deflected to the westward along the southern shores of the 
island, and finally enters the southern part of the Gulf of St. 
Lawrence, while the remainder is soon melted in the warmer 
waters of the Atlantic south of Newfoundland. 
Ice commences to form in the smaller bays of the northern 
parts of Hudson bay and Hudson strait early in October, and 
by the end of that month the northern harbours are frozen over. 
The more southern ones, especially those at the mouths of the 
larger rivers, do not close until late in November or early in the 
following month. By the beginning of January, James bay is 
frozen across, and at the same time solid ice usually extends 
from the east coast of Hudson bay to the outer line of islands, 
some sixty or seventy miles from that coast. In other parts of 
Hudson bay, and in Hudson strait a margin of solid ice usually 
extends from one to five miles from the shore, except where the 
coast is high and bold with deep water close to the base of the 
cliffs. In such places, especially at headlands, solid ice does 
not form, and the natives in winter often have to make long and 
difficult detours inland to pass them. 
The main body of Hudson bay does not freeze solid, and the 
same may be said of Hudson strait. Although this is the case, 
these waters are quite unnavigable for ordinary ships during 
the winter and spring months owing to the great sheets of heavy 
ice borne backwards and forwards by the tides and currents, 
and drifted about by the winter gales. There is little, doubt 
that a specially constructed ship for ice navigation might pass 
through Hudson strait at any season, but the voyage would be 
a long one, and the difficulties and dangers would be great. 
The ice of Hudson bay and the greater part of that of Hudson 
strait is of local origin, being formed by the freezing of the 
surface of the sea near-by. Observations on the growth in thick- 
ness of the ice were made in Fullerton harbour throughout the 
winter of 1903-04, and a record of the weekly observations is 
