1876 TEEATMENT OF A FKOST-BITE. 265 



anywhere without a companion at his side ready to 

 warn him of danger. Fortunately these extremely low 

 temperatures never occur with a high wind, or no 

 human being could possibly endure the weather. 



' A parhelion with prismatic colours on each side of 

 the sun was observed to-day. Very light snow-flakes, 

 or more properly speaking snow-motes, were falling, so 

 fine that they were only visible as they passed across 

 the lighted arc, after which they were invisible until they 

 crossed the corresponding arc on the opposite side of 

 the sun, showing that each particle of snow between 

 the eye of the observer and the extreme distance assists 

 in forming the parhelion. The ray rising perpendicu- 

 larly from the sun was not prismatic. 



1 A puppy born three days ago has mysteriously 

 disappeared ; it has doubtless been eaten, as usual, but 

 in this case the mother herself is suspected of being the 

 culprit. 



' 9 ^.—Yesterday on the temperature rising to 

 minus 45° the dog-sledge was made ready to start, but 

 to-day it has fallen again to minus 58°, so I have 

 countermanded the order for its departure. When on 

 the top of the look-out hill this morning the air was so 

 perfectly calm, that, notwithstanding the excessive cold, 

 after becoming thoroughly warm by the exertion of 

 climbing, I was able to keep my hands bare for ten 

 minutes whilst sketching ; but that was only during a 

 very quiet interval, for shortly afterwards, although 

 the weather was nominally calm, it would have been 

 impossible to have uncovered the hands for two 

 minutes. At noon a thermometer backed with a piece 

 of black cloth, when exposed to the sun, which was 



