VOYAGE OF THE 'ECLIPSE.' 99 



rarity, until at length the open bays along the margin of the ice 

 have almost ceased to be visited, and the Greenland Whale of 

 the present day seldom leaves the protection afforded by the 

 close-ice. Further, that the extent of sea covered by ice broken 

 up by the action of swell (" pack-ice") and impenetrable to ships 

 is in most seasons of vast extent, and if to this area be added the 

 polynias or open spaces of water, large and small, which there is 

 every reason to believe break out amongst the floes, the former 

 only at certain times and in certain places, the latter perhaps 

 always and everywhere, it will be seen that with whatever zeal 

 and perseverance its persecution is continued, an area of sufficient 

 extent will always remain unpenetrated, in which the Greenland 

 Whale, enjoying immunity from attack, will continue to exist in 

 sufficient numbers to remove the possibility of its ever becoming 

 exterminated ; and that its present apparent exceeding scarcity 

 in the Greenland Seas is to be ascribed to the seclusiveness of 

 its habits and its prefei'ence to remain amongst close impenetrable 

 ice rather than to the species becoming extinct. 



June 24th. One Great Skua, Stercorarius catarrhactes, seen ; 

 also a small bird about the size of a Swallow, with a reddish 

 throat and brown wings. 



June 25th. Sailing southwards along the ice-edge, the wind 

 light from the eastward, a really dreadful swell from the S.E. 

 running. The ' Erik,' then in our company, at the distance of 

 only half a mile, was being taken completely out of our sight, 

 masts and all, as she sank in the trough of the sea ; a strong 

 gale from the S.E. had recently been blowing. The efi^ect of such 

 a swell on the neighbouring ice is to be imagined rather than 

 described ; at a distance of four or five miles the noise was 

 sufficiently appalling to forbid nearer approach. 6 p.m., being in 

 lat. 78° 10' N. and long. 1° W., a Chimney Swift, Chtetura pelasgia, 

 was noticed sitting on one of the yards. A seaman went aloft, 

 and finding it asleep brought it down in his hand. The bird was 

 very much exhausted — in fact, almost dead. I suppose it had 

 been carried across from Norway by the recent gale. A few 

 Arctic Puffins seen ; they are not common so far from land. The 

 North Greenland whaling was now over for the season, and we 

 were steei'ing southwards along the ice-edge towards the South 

 Greenland whaling-grounds. These lie to the southward of the 

 75th parallel of latitude and to the eastward of the coast of 



