20 THE ZOOLOGIST. 
the water, which measured about nine inches to a foot in length. 
This was, doubtless, a free-swimming Annelid. 
By the morning of the Ist September the strong gale from 
the south-west had pushed the pack so much off the shore that a 
water-way was visible as far as Cape Union. This we ran through 
under sail, and in the highest state of excitement ; but our joy 
was short-lived, for, after rounding Cape Union, the land, instead 
of stretching north, trended to the N.N.W. ‘The lane of water 
came to an end, and in front of us was the illimitable Polar pack. 
Under the lee of the stranded masses from the Polar floes we 
took shelter, and this spot afterwards, given the name of Floeberg 
Beach, became the winter-quarters of the ‘ Alert’ during 1875 
and 1876. 
It is hardly within my province to detail the various 
endeavours made to gain a more northern position. This has 
already been told by Captain Nares in his account of the voyage. 
I may merely state that it was some days before we could realize 
that our progress northward in the ship was at an end. We had 
to wait for clear weather, and many an ascent of the hills in the 
vicinity, then deep in snow, before we could force ourselves to 
believe that President Land, reported by the American ‘ Polaris’ 
Expedition, and laid down in their charts, was a myth. However, 
we were all, even the most sanguine, forced at length to admit that 
such was the case. 
As soon as Floeberg Beach had been finally designated as the 
place for wintering, the greatest activity prevailed amongst our 
small crew; provisions had to be landed, spars lowered, anchors 
and cables taken on shore, and, besides, preparations had to 
be made for the serious work of the Expedition, namely, 
advancing by sledge-parties, the depots of provisions to be used 
in the explorations of the following year. 
The country in the vicinity of our winter-quarters at that 
time presented a very dismal appearance; the new fallen snow lay 
thick and soft, the young ice was forming rapidly over the pools 
between the grounded pack and the shore. We were also sub- 
jected to fog and snowstorms, with a daily falling temperature. 
Animal life was very scarce ; a few Eider Ducks, a family-party of 
Long-tailed Ducks, a few Turnstones, a single Snow Bunting, a 
Dovekie, and a Hare were all that we saw in the neighbourhood. 
On the 5th September Markham and Aldrich, whilst sledging in 
