NOTES FROM AN ARCTIC JOURNAL. 169 
No bay or indentation throughout this stretch of shorc-line offers 
a chance of shelter to a vessel. The solid pack which filled 
Smith Sound, without a break or trace of water,—as far as we 
could judge from the mast-head or our observations from shore,— 
was ever moving slowly southward, grinding against the coast. 
At capes or headlands, or wherever the progress of the pack was 
interfered with, the great power of moving ice was exemplified. 
At those points of pressure the floes pushing against the ice-foot 
seemed to be imbued with life and instinct. An enormous floe 
impinging against a headland is brought momentarily to a stop- 
page, the check is transmitted to the floes in rear, and a scene of 
commotion is visible for a great distance in the pack around. 
Like an angry crowd jostling against one another, the edges of 
the various floes grind, uprise and crumble upon themselves. 
The weight from behind at length overcomes the obstruction of 
the grounded edge of the floe, which is crumpled up and pushed 
upon the ice-foot a chaos of hummocks. If this scene of conflict 
between the moving ice and the headlands was incessant it would 
be impossible to carry a ship around these points, but fortunately 
the pack is ever changing position. Wind and tides exert tremen-: 
dous influence upon it. A change in either of these agencies often 
converts an area of raging ice into a breadth of smooth water in 
the course of a few minutes. 
On the 29th August we landed on the north side of Dobbin 
Bay, and coming across a brood of Ptarmigan, nine in number, 
secured them all They were young birds changing into winter 
plumage, and proved quite unsuspecting, allowing me to shoot 
them as they ran amongst the stones. The weight of these young 
birds averaged sixteen ounces. Four or five Hares were also 
obtained; one of the largest weighed ten pounds two ounces. 
Dr. Moss shot a female Raven, and a few Snow Buntings were 
still lingering along the shore. 
Four more days were we beset in Dobbin Bay, without getting 
a chance of moving into the Sound. The time, however, was 
not passed unprofitably, as we had several good hauls with the 
dredge. Dovekies were numerous, and appeared still to have 
young, as I noticed them flying up to the cliffs with fish in their 
bills. Many broods of Eider Ducks, Somateria mollissima, were 
swimining in the pools, and we shot a considerable number. It 
is worthy of remark that south of Cape Frazer the Eider seems 
Zz 
