i9io] ESCAPE FROM THE PACK 69 
sheets of ice from 6 inches to 1 foot in thickness, with 
occasional water holes and groups of heavier floes. This 
forenoon it is the same tale, except that the sheets of thin 
ice are broken into comparatively regular figures, none 
more than 30 yards across. It is the hopcfullcst sign of 
the approach to the open sea that I have seen. 
The wind remains in the north helping us, the sky is 
overcast and slight sleety drizzle is falling ; the sun has made 
one or two attempts to break through but without success. 
Last night we had a good example of the phenomenon 
called i Glazed Frost.' The ship everywhere, on every 
fibre of rope as well as on her more solid parts, was covered 
with a thin sheet of ice caused by a fall of light super- 
cooled rain. The effect was pretty and interesting. 
Our passage through the pack has been comparatively 
uninteresting from the zoologist's point of view, as we 
have seen so little of the rarer species of animals or of 
birds in exceptional plumage. We passed dozens of 
crab-caters, but have seen no Ross seals nor have we 
been able to kill a sea leopard. To-day we see very few 
penguins. I'm afraid there can be no observations to 
give us our position. 
Release after Twenty Days in the Pack 
Friday, December 30. — Obs. 72 0 17' S. 1 77 0 9' E. Made 
good in 48 hours, S. 19 W. 190' ; C. Crozier S. 21 W. 334'. 
We are out of the pack at length and at last ; one breathes 
again and hopes that it will be possible to carry out the 
main part of our programme, but the coal will need tender 
nursing. 
