The Zoologist— November, 1873. 3765 



of ice over two miles in length as thickly as a flock of rooks a 

 pasture. But the men had less sport, because a "Dutchman" 

 came up and hurried our movements. All foreign vessels are 

 called Dutchmen in whaler's parlance; this was a Norwegian 

 smack. It is said that some of our bullets screamed over the 

 heads of her boat's crew when they got among the seals, and 

 I partly believe it, for our men were not very particular as to what 

 might be beyond the mark they fired at, as some of us can per- 

 sonally vouch for; besides which the Norwegians were a good 

 way off, and not in sight, for nobody can see far over hummocky 

 ice. The sea in this neighbourhood was discoloured with a dark 

 bottle-green Algal, which afforded food to myriads of a Cetochilus, 

 and had an unpleasant smell. The Uttle entomostracan could be 

 obtained in any quantity by sinking a towing-net a few fathoms 

 below the surface when the ship was hove to. 



On the 2nd July we reached Treurenberg Bay with Mr. Smith's 

 yacht, the 'Samson,' in tow. We had met her between Low Island 

 and the Seven Islands, near the ice edge, the day before. Amongst 

 the pitch-pine and spruce drift-wood on the shore of this bay one 

 of her men picked up a fisherman's glass net-float, which the 

 officers of the Swedish expedition were of opinion could only have 

 got there by being drifted from the Loffoden Islands. The ' Polhen' 

 unexpectedly arrived in the night of the 3rd July, and we had the 

 pleasure of receiving a midnight visit from Prof. Nordenskiold and 

 Capt. Pallander, R.S.N. When we returned their visit the next 

 day, they gave us an account of their adventures during their two 

 months' absence from the ship. Leaving Mossel Bay early in 

 April, they had crossed over to the other side of Hinlopen's Straits, 

 near Shoal Point. Here one of their men, soon after their landing, 

 went a little distance along the shore to search for drift-wood for a 

 fire, was lost in the fog, and was never seen again. This was the 

 only death amongst the men belonging to the Swedish expedition 

 during the whole of their voyage. They proceeded to Phipps's 

 Island, intending to sledge northwards from it, the Swedish expe- 

 dition in 1863 having reported the ice to have been in very good 

 condition for sledging that season. This year it was hummocky 

 instead of level, and altogether unfit for sledging, so they left their 

 boat on the island, and took with them a sledge to carry their 

 provisions on. From Phipps's Island they crossed over to Cape 

 Platen, and thence proceeded along the coast of North-East Land 



SECOND SERIES — VOL. VIII. 3 I 



