254 



SECOND VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY 



Frid. 5. 



the morning of the 5th it once more opened out, leaving a lane of water 

 which appeared to reach within two miles of the island of Owlitteeweek. 

 As we could there discover a bight in the floe, in which better security- 

 could be found from the ice than in our present exposed situation, we made 

 sail for it, after sending a boat a-head with signals to make known the sound- 

 ings ; the depth of water proved regular, shoaling gradually from thirty- 

 eight fathoms, as far as our boat could go. As we proceeded the ice conti- 

 nued to open, allowing us to make fast in a very good situation only one 

 mile and a quarter from the island, and in eleven fathoms water, from which 

 we afterwards warped into nine to endeavour to get out of the tide, which we 

 here observed to run with unabated rapidity. We now for the first time 

 secured the ship to the smooth and level land-floe, which continued to run 

 along the shore at the distance before described. The Hecla still remained 

 beset and had now drifted to the distance of twelve miles from us. 



In the afternoon I sent Lieutenant Reid, accompanied by a party of other 

 officers, to the island, for the purpose of examining its natural productions, 

 as well as with the hope of procuring some game, a herd of deer having been 

 observed from the ship. Our gentlemen returned at night, having succeeded 

 in killing one of these which gave us fifty-eight pounds of lean venison ; 

 and they also brought several ducks. The birds, which were extremely nu- 

 merous at this station, consisted principally of the king, eider, and long- 

 tailed ducks, the latter being much the most abundant, and occupying almost 

 constantly a part of the open water in the bight of the ice where we lay. 

 These were, however, not so tame as the other two species, which would 

 almost at first allow themselves to be knocked down with a boat-hook, and 

 could afterwards be easily approached in a boat under sail, provided the little 

 chattering long-tailed ducks did not give the alarm. The tern were also 

 tolerably numerous, and a few silvery gulls were seen. On shore a number 

 of red and black-throated divers frequented the ponds ; two or three indivi- 

 duals of the Larus Sabmi were seen, and Mr. Edwards noticed some others 

 which, from their size and colour, he took to be snow-geese. The island of 

 Owlitteeweek, which is high on its N.N.E. but very low on the south side, is- 

 composed of gneiss, the rocks presenting on their surface a wavy or serpen- 

 tine appearance. The vegetation was found to be poor and backward, and 

 very few specimens of plants were here added to our collections. 



As might be expected from the appearance of the island, the water is not 

 deep at a considerable distance from the shore on the south, S.E., and S.W. 



