SCHAROK AGAIN 253 



concern was to keep the boat's head straight, I steering 

 and sounding" along with a hammer tied to a cord. 



The depth, on the whole, varied from six to ten feet, 

 but even at that was crossed by a shoal in two places ; 

 and here, before we were aware, we ran aground. I got 

 out, hauled the boat off, and then waded on for some 

 distance towing the boat and sounding with a pole. 



The main channel after two sudden turns opens on the 

 entry by a deep reach. On the southern side of this 

 entry we landed on the outer sand-banks. 



Here we succeeded in hauling the boat up to the very 

 top of a high sand-bank, where it would lie quite safe in 

 any event but a north-east gale. 



This is that outer ridge of sand which separates the 

 mud-flats from the sea. 



We found the ice o-rounded some half a mile to sea- 

 ward, and thence stretching away as far as the eye 

 could see. 



I walked off to inspect a big lump which stood up 

 from the sand about two and a half feet. I found that 

 it was deliberately built up of weeds 1 and hydrozoans, 

 round which sand had collected, and in the hollowed top 

 was a single egg of the glaucous gull. The pair of these 

 birds were flying over my head. 



We walked along the ridge. We came upon a whole 

 row of glaucous gulls' nests, but none of them held any 



1 They included the following species : — 



Fucus vesiculosus, Fucus serratus, Ceramium rubrum, Corallina officinalis. 



