I9I2J 
FISH, FIRE, AND FOSSILS 
323 
to photograph the phenomena, but unhickily failed to 
get any results. We started again our fish trap, which 
was let down by digging a hole through the ice ; this 
was at first successful and we had a fair number of fisJi, 
The flesh of these fish was so sweet tliat they were, in 
the ordinary way, quite unpleasant eating. Archer, by 
soaking them first in vinegar and water, n\ade ihein 
much more palatable. Keohanc and Williamson, after 
a great deal of trouble, caught some of these same fisli 
by hook and line. 
On May 25 we had some slight excitement. Wright 
needed a lamp to heat Jus magnetic hut, and Nelson and 
he, while experimenting with one and increasing the 
pressure in the lamp to give a better flare, unluckily 
managed to burst it. Immediately the whole end of the 
table and part of the floor was a mass of flames. With 
blankets and a fire extinguisher these were soon put 
out and no harm done. Nelson, wliose face was down 
by the lamp when the explosion occurred, had a very 
lucky escape. Our fish trap, wliich had been failing in 
the number of fish caught each day, was blown out to sea 
with the ice from the North Bay. This was a serious 
loss, but we managed with some wire, iron bars, and two 
hoops to make another but smaller one. About this 
time some of the geological specimens which had been 
brought back by the first and second return parties were 
handed over to Debcnham. These had mainly been 
collected in the scattered moraine under the Cloudmaker. 
To his surprise and joy several fossils of plants and small 
marine animals were found in some of these. 
