VOYAGE OF THE ' ECLIPSE.' 51 



them constitutes the " Old Saddle Sealing." A good man,v 

 " Finners," B. sibbaldii, were seen on the 29th, and many Looms 

 flying eastward, as we afterwards discovered, for the next point of 

 ice. A few " spots" (young Saddle Seals) were seen on the 30th, 

 and one Great Skua, Stercorarius catarrhactes, was for some time 

 seen following in the ship's wake. This is only the second bird 

 of this species of Skua I have seen in these seas during the last 

 four seasons. 



May 1st. " Finner Whales," B. sibbaldii, numerous in the 

 evening. Having crossed a deep bight, May 2nd found us 

 at another point in lat. 75° 1' N., long. 0° 42' W. Continuing 

 our way northward, the same evening we passed a Norwegian 

 steamer, lying amongst the ice, engaged in sealing. On the 

 morning of the 3rd a patch of old Saddle Seals was discovered, 

 numbering about 5000 : they were scattered over a strip of ice 

 some three miles in length by one in breadth: as many as fifty 

 seals might have been collected on one single piece of ice. The 

 boats, eight in number, were manned and sent away. Every shot 

 drove hundreds off the ice, and in a remarkably short time the 

 whole herd was driven into the water. After going a few miles to 

 the northward they again went on to the ice in considerable 

 numbers ; their coats, however, not having had time to dry 

 before they were again attacked, they required even less per- 

 suasion than before to return to their watery element. A heavy 

 swell amongst the ice made shooting difficult, and kept the seals 

 continually awake. All day they continued howling and screech- 

 ing in the most melancholy manner, the sure and certain sign, 

 the seamen said, of bad weather. Having bagged some 120 

 seals, the boats returned on board, and we made sail and pro- 

 ceeded nortliwards. One Narwlial seen; Snow-birds, Larus 

 eburneus, and Burgomasters, Larus glaucus, numerous as these 

 birds always are when seals are in the neighbourhood. 



A heavy gale from the N.E., with showers of snow, blew on 

 the 6th ; having found shelter under lee of a point of ice, we lay 

 comfortably under storm canvas. During the afternoon a small 

 bird was noticed fluttering about the rigging ; some time after- 

 wards it was seen crouching under lee of the weather bulwarks, 

 its feathers puffed out to their full extent ; latterly it found its 

 way underneath the forecastle-head, where, protected from the 

 inclemency of the weather, it soon fell into its last long sleep. 



