SCOTT'S LAST EXPEDITION [D ECEMBER 
the less known portions of the Ross Sea, and to determine 
the nature and extent of the pack ice in this unexplored 
region. 
The earlier southern voyages had mostly been made in 
more westerly longitudes. 
In conjunction with the ambitious deep-sea-sounding 
programme Lillie was to make a number of quantitative 
plankton stations, and obtain trawls whenever the occasion 
was suitable. We also hoped to add materially to our 
magnetic observations for Variation, Dip, and Total Force. 
The programme was fairly well adhered to, and thanks 
to Rennick's expert handling of the Lucas machine we 
obtained several soundings of about 3000 fathoms, when 
less ardent hydrographers would have surrendered to the 
bad weather. 
On December 17 the Antipodes Islands were passed, 
the ship labouring in the heavy sea and occasionally rolling 
Dec. 17, her bulwarks under ; it was not considered 
advisable to attempt a landing. These islands 
14' E. are visited twice a year by a Government 
steamer, aird have been examined pretty thoroughly, 
although rather sketchily surveyed. 
On this voyage the ship was infested with rats, but 
Cheetham, our boatswain, who has crossed the Antarctic 
Circle fourteen times, showed himself an adept at rat- 
catching and soon freed the ship from the pest. He used 
to throw the rats over the side, and the albatrosses and 
mollymawks would swoop down and devour the vermin 
in an incredibly short time. We had all kinds of rat-traps 
in use, and even used mouse-traps to catch the young. 
