382 SIEGE OF THE SOUTH POLE 
senior medical officer of the Erebus having more interest 
in birds than in plants. Coulman Island was sighted on 
January 22nd, and then in latitude 74 0 S. Kristensen 
decided to turn back as no whales were to be seen. Next 
day the ship was back at Cape Adare, and here the first 
landing upon the Antarctic continent was made on a low 
beach at the base of the cliff. The penguins were even 
more numerous than at Possession Island, and the same 
lichen was found growing on the rocks. Returning north- 
ward the Antarctic made her way through the pack in 
six days, and entering the open sea on February 1st, she 
pursued her voyage in temperate waters and reached 
Melbourne on March 14th. 
The voyage was not a commercial success and has not 
been repeated. The “ right ” whale was not found ; the 
ship was too large, and the gear was perhaps too light 
for taking the finner; but the voyage was an interesting 
demonstration of the facility of visiting Victoria Land, 
and supplied a strong argument that the open sea found 
by Ross south of the pack was not a temporary incident, 
but the normal feature of an ordinary year. 
The last effort of the whalers and sealers had done 
much to spread interest in Antarctic navigation, and it 
had done more in training men who were destined to 
take leading parts in the great scientific expeditions 
which were to follow. 
