106 THE ZOOLOGIST. 
first part of our march, and our sufferings were aggravated by its 
blowing half a gale of wind in our faces. We reached the 
camping-place on the mainland at 12 p.m. nearly exhausted, and 
so benumbed by cold that it was as much as we could do to 
prepare our supper. 
After a good sleep in the tent at Dumbell Bay, we started 
at mid-day of the 26th. The travelling to Mushroom Point was 
particularly bad; often times we sank to our waists, through a 
foot of water and then sludge. ‘The satellite sledge got buried, 
and we had to face about and extricate it by ‘‘ standing-hauls.” 
We reached Mushroom Point in the evening: from there to the 
ship we saw a single Glaucous Gull, several Buffon’s Skuas, several 
pairs of Arctic Terns, a flock of fifteen King Eiders, one of 
which we obtained; and a single Fulmar Petrel passed us at 
about seventy yards distance. During this march we encountered 
real rain, for the first time that year. The ship was reached 
early in the morning of the 27th June. 
During July, and particularly in the first half of the month, 
the explorer of Polar lands has to contend against an enemy 
more potent even than the cold in contracting his walks— 
I refer to the thaw. Every valley and ravine was occupied by 
a stream; many of these became rapid foaming torrents that it 
was extremely difficult to cross without the aid of bridge or boat; 
the flats were converted into lakes, snow-drifts into treacherous 
sloughs impossible to wade through. To seaward the pack was 
equally difficult to cross, and even dangerous to venture on. 
Thus it will be seen that our area for walking over was 
practically very restricted. A few Phalaropes, P. fulicarius, were 
observed, and one or two examples secured, though I did not 
discover the nest. The bill of this species when in full breeding- 
plumage is bright orange, tipped with dark hair-brown. The 
female is larger and brighter coloured than the male. 
I noted on the Ist July that the Knots were still courting ; 
the males were chasing the females, and uttering their shrill 
melancholy note. The melting of the snow placed the Lemmings 
at great disadvantage with their enemies, the Skuas. No longer 
were they able to dive with rapidity into a snow-drift or take 
refuge in their numerous galleries; the sole place of retreat 
was under stones. When overtaken in the open the little 
creatures showed fight; they are extremely tender, the slightest 
