1876 DOGS 239 



shake is much more trying than when walking through 

 snow of the same depth known to be soft. On our 

 return, when about a mile distant from the ship, we 

 experienced a light breeze for about ten minutes ; with 

 so low a temperature the sensation of stinging cold in 

 the exposed parts of our faces, was intensely painful. 



* Markham's dog " Nelly," that is permitted to live 

 on the lower-deck, enjoys herself wonderfully when 

 taken out on the ice, and appears only to feel the 

 severe cold in her paws, which become clogged with 

 ice-balls between the toes ; she does not complain much 

 unless her walk is extended beyond a distance of four 

 or five miles, when the ice having time to accumulate 

 cuts into the flesh. The similar troubles of our poor 

 Eskimo dogs are now close at hand ; they will com- 

 mence exercising during the coining week. 



1 To-day the United States Mountains to the north- 

 west were visible ; the Greenland hills in the opposite 

 direction have been very distinct for several days. 



' The double doors over the entry hatchways 

 having been more carefully closed, and the leaks 

 repaired in the porches, the lower-deck has been much 

 drier lately, notwithstanding the cold weather. 



' The spring-tides continue to split and force up the 

 ice between the ship and the neighbouring floeberg. 

 The cold weather has not only cracked the floe in 

 many places but several of the floebergs have split 

 through the middle, the cracks opening and the pieces 

 separating from each other. 



' 17th. — Still the same calm, cold weather with a 

 light mist hanging within about a hundred feet of the 

 ice ; above that the atmosphere is remarkably clear. 



