90 SEALS SHOT. Chap. V. 



One of the two large icebergs whicK com- 

 menced this voyage with us last October, in 

 75i° N., has drifted out of sight to the S.E. ; the 

 other one is far off in the N.W. I attribute 

 these increased distances solely to the spreading 

 abroad of the intervening ice. 



When we were far north, and probably drifting 

 more slowly than the ice in the stream of Lan- 

 caster Sound to the westward of us, the ship's 

 head turned very gradually from right to left, 

 from N.N. W. to W. ; when about the parallel of 

 72° N., we supposed ourselves to be drifting 

 faster than the western ice ; in this, as in the 

 previous case, comparing our drift with that of 

 Lieutenant De Haven, the ship's head slowly 

 shifted back to the right as far as W.N.W. ; 

 latterly it has not changed at all : we are in a 

 narrower part of Davis' Strait, where the winds 

 probably blow with equal force from shore to 

 shore, and drift the whole pack at an uniform 

 rate. 



bth. — On the 2nd four fat seals and some 

 dovekies were shot ; the largest seal weighed 

 170 lbs., the smallest 150 lbs. ; they were males 

 of the species Phoca hespida, or Phoca fcetida, 

 the latter epithet being by far the most appro- 

 priate at this season ; the disagreeable odour 

 resembles garlic, and taints the whole animal so 



