172 
VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY 
1820. centre apparently from 40° to 50° from that object. There were two parhelia 
faintly prismatic as usual, but about 3° without the circle. 
This phenomenon was remarkable, on account of the parhelia not being 
situated upon the halo, as was usually the case. It now occurred to me, 
that on the preceding day, when the same phenomenon had been faintly 
seen, Mr. Nias, whom I directed to measure the angular distance between 
the parhelia and the sun, had reported it to be 24° 40', the radius of the 
halo being 22|° as usual. This I considered to have been an unavoidable 
error in the measurement of an ill-defined object ; but, on repeating it, his 
first report was found to be correct. On the present occasion, Lieutenant 
Beechey saw it for so short a time as not to allow him to measure the 
distance. 
The expedition having, at its departure from England, been victualled for 
no more than two years, of which one had now expired, I considered it 
expedient, as a matter of precaution, to reduce the daily allowance of all the 
kinds of provision to two-thirds of the established proportion, which re- 
gulation accordingly took place from this day. The cheerfulness with which 
this reduction was received by both officers and men, was to me an additional 
and highly-gratifying proof of that firm and zealous principle of duty by 
which their conduct was at all times regulated. 
Frid. 12. On the 12th, one of the men, employed in digging turf on shore, reported 
that he had seen a ptarmigan, an event which, trifling as it was, created 
no small degree of interest among us, who had now been deprived of fresh 
meat for nearly six months ; it was also hailed as a sure omen of returning 
