NOTES FROM AN ARCTIC JOURNAL. 55 
insisted on; school, theatricals, and lectures occupied the evenings; 
whilst the undeviating routine and discipline of a man-of-war 
insured order and comfort. 
During the periods that the moon was above the horizon, 
owing to the usually extreme dryness of the atmosphere, she 
shone with greater brilliancy than we are accustomed to, in our 
humid climate; we were at those times able to extend our walks 
and see for miles around us, and though the prospect was 
marvellously weird and dreary, and the scene of solitude at times 
almost oppressive, yet there was a grandeur in the snow-clad hills 
and in the great frozen sea which I cannot hope to describe. 
The following extracts from my journal are inserted to show 
that, as far as our observations go, we have no reason to suppose 
that any of the animals that winter in Grinnell Land hybernate. 
Until the autumnal darkness rendered it impossible to observe 
any more tracks in the snow, I noticed that Hares and Lemmings 
were on the move; and again in the commencement of the year, 
just so soon as the increasing twilight enabled us to extend our 
wanderings, and during the coldest periods of the Arctic year, we 
likewise found these animals roaming about. 
“February 8th.—A beautiful calm day, the moon nearly at her 
full, temperature — 50°; walked to the top of the flag-staff hill; 
Cape Joseph Henry, a distance of twenty-five miles, showed very 
distinctly ; continued my walk to Cape Sheridan. The planet 
Venus was shining brightly in the arc of twilight that showed in 
the south, in which same direction the other stars were invisible. 
Egerton came across a Hare’s track to-day, the first seen 
this year. 
10th.—Leaving the ship at meridian, with Egerton, we 
walked to the southward, and then ascended to the plateau, by its 
eastern face, as the snow appeared to be heavily drifted in the 
ravine. Parts of the upland were bared or only lightly drifted 
over with snow, but without much alteration of our intended 
course we were able to travel over hard snow at a very brisk pace. 
We reached in two hours a point overlooking Robeson Channel, 
mid-way between Cape Rawson and the next headland to the 
south. We estimated that we were four and a half miles from 
the ship. From this point we could see the Greenland coast 
distinctly: there was not a pool of water visible in Robeson 
