, 9 ii] OCCUPATIONS 249 
Tuesday, April 28. — It was comparatively calm all day 
yesterday and last night, and there have been light airs 
only from the south to-day. The temperature, at first 
comparatively high at -5°, has gradually fallen to - 13 0 ; 
as a result the Strait has frozen over at last and it looks 
as though the Hut Point party should be with us before 
very long. If the blizzards hold off for another three 
days the crossing should be perfectly safe, but I don't 
expect Mcares to hurry. 
Although we had very good sunset effects at Hut Point, 
Ponting and others were much disappointed with the 
absence of such effects at Cape Evans. This was probably 
due to the continual interference of frost smoke ; since 
our return here, and especially yesterday and to-day, the 
sky and sea have been glorious in the afternoon. 
Ponting has taken some coloured pictures, but the 
result is not very satisfactory and the plates are much 
spotted ; Wilson is very busy with pencil and brush. 
Atkinson is unpacking and setting up his sterilizers 
and incubators. Wright is wrestling with the electrical 
instruments. Evans is busy surveying the Cape and its 
vicinity. Oates is reorganising the stable, making bigger 
stalls, &c. Cherry-Garrard is building a stone house for 
taxidermy and with a view to getting hints for making 
a shelter at Cape Crozier during the winter. Debenham 
and Taylor are taking advantage of the last of the light 
to examine the topography of the peninsula. In fact, 
everyone is extraordinarily busy. 
I came back with the impression that we should not 
find our winter walks so interesting as those at Hut Point, 
