2(16 VOYAGE TO THE POLAR SEA. March 



three degrees above the horizon, registered twenty- two 

 degrees higher than when in the shade. The black-bulb 

 thermometers supplied for measuring solar radiation 

 are all mercury thermometers and are consequently 

 useless at present. No one expected that when the 

 heat from the sun was sufficient to raise the tempera- 

 ture so considerably the mercury would be frozen and 

 the instrument perfectly useless. 



' The men are employed daily in cutting a ditch in 

 the ice on the starboard side of the ship, in the hope of 

 reducing the pressure, and keeping her from heeling 

 over any farther to port. The ice has again sunk sud- 

 denly away from the ship at the stern, or rather the 

 ship has suddenly jumped up one foot, tearing her 

 stern clear of the ice. 



' 12th. — A misty morning with a falling barometer, 

 and a temperature risen to minus 30°, gave notice that 

 the extremely cold weather was at an end. Accord- 

 ingly Mr. Egerton and Lieutenant Eawson, accompanied 

 by Petersen and nine dogs, started for the " Discovery," 

 the sledge being weighted to 51 lbs. per dog. 



' When walking with Aldrich we crossed the tracks 

 made by the dogs when exercising yesterday, and 

 noticed the numerous frozen pellets of blood lying on 

 the floe which always form between the toes of these 

 animals when working during severely cold weather. 

 The heat of the foot causes the snow to ball, this soon 

 changes into ice, and, collecting between the toes, cuts 

 into the flesh. On board the " Eesolute " in 1853, we 

 endeavoured to fit our dogs with blanket pads on 

 their feet, but these were found to increase the mis- 

 chief by first becoming damp and then freezing, when 



