THE HEART OF THE ANTARCTIC 



Long needles of ice formed from the small grains of 

 gravel, and crossed and recrossed in the most beautiful 

 pattern. In some holes hexagonal plates of ice were 

 being formed on the surface. 



An examination of the Solitary Rocks proved that 

 the map was incorrect at this point. The previous 

 expedition had thought that the rocks formed an island, 

 with the glacier flowing down on either side, but a close 

 examination showed that the rocks were in reality a 

 peninsula, joined to the main north wall by an isthmus 

 of granite at least one thousand feet high. The glacier 

 surged round the peninsula on its way down Dry Valley, 

 and just below the isthmus was a lake of some size, fed 

 by streams from a glacier opposite. These streams 

 were yellow with silt, and another stream, also much 

 discoloured, was running from the lake down to Dry 

 Valley. The Solitary Rocks are at an altitude of 

 about two thousand feet above sea-level. Priestley 

 proceeded with geological and survey work in the 

 neighbourhood of the east fork, and made an extensive 

 examination of the spots known as Kurki Kills, Knob 

 Head Mount and Windy Gully. On December 24, 

 close to the camp, they found the bleached skeleton of 

 a crabeater seal. It is rather curious that one of these 

 animals should proceed so far up the glacier. A new 

 camp was pitched at the foot of Knob Head Mountain, 

 just below the second gully east of Windy Gully, and 

 here Armytage and Priestley climbed up the slope 

 behind to an altitude of 4200 ft., finding a yellow lichen 

 at 3100 ft., a black lichen at 3800 ft. and a green lichen 

 or moss at 4200 ft. The altitude of the camp was 

 2470 ft. 



Christmas Day was spent at this camp, and, as was 

 the case with the other sledging expeditions that were 

 out at the time, a special feast was provided. For 



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