i 9 o 3 ] REVIEW OF SLEDGING WORK 225 



a curious ice-formed terrace 800 feet above the barrier level ; 

 he collected numerous geological specimens from this area, and 

 found erratic boulders at great altitudes. Next he made a 

 complete examination of the enormous and interesting pressure 

 ridges which form the junction of the Great Barrier ice-mass 

 with the land, and now and at a later date he spent much time 

 in studying the curious windless area which exists to the south 

 of Ross Island, and thus threw considerable light on meteoro- 

 logical facts that puzzled us, and on the ice condition of an 

 extremely interesting region. 



I cannot conclude a summary of our last sledging season 

 without referring to an excellent little journey made by 

 Armitage, Wilson, and Heald. This small party crossed the 

 strait towards the end of November and then turned sharply 

 to the south under the foothills of the mainland. In this 

 manner they broke new ground, and reached and examined 

 the Koettlitz Glacier. This had previously been seen only from 

 Brown Island, and its closer examination was important not 

 only to complete the topographical survey of our region, but to 

 verify numerous observations taken in the Ferrar Glacier, 

 Amidst a scene of wild beauty Armitage obtained some excel- 

 lent photographs which give a good idea of the typical moun- 

 tain scenery, and would alone prove the receding glacial 

 conditions of the whole continent. 



Thus it will be seen that whilst I had been away on my 

 long journey to the west, my companions had been working 

 diligently in every direction which promised to increase our 

 store of information. All, however, had returned before my- 

 self, so that when I arrived at the ship on Christmas Eve, 1903, 

 it was to ring the curtain down on the last of our sledging 

 efforts in this Far Southern region. 



When all things are considered, it must be conceded that 

 no polar ship ever wintered in a more interesting spot than the 

 1 Discovery.' It was good fortune which had brought us to our 

 winter quarters in February 1902, and from the first we saw 

 what great possibilities lay before us, and determined that no 

 effort should be spared to take advantage of our opportunities. 



VOL. II. Q 



