kies were also seen; and tern were very numerous, 
hundreds of them squealing and screeching in flocks. 
They were so tame that they came within a few yards 
of the party. Flying high overhead, their notes echo¬ 
ing from the rocks, were large white birds, which they 
took for burgomasters. Ivory gulls and mollemokes 
were seen farther on. They did not lose sight of the 
birds after this, as far as they went. The ivory gulls 
flew very high, but the mollemokes alit, and fed on the 
water, flying over it Avell out to sea, as we had seen 
them do in Baffin's Bay. Separate from these flew a 
dingy bird unknown to Morton. Never had they seen 
the birds so numerous: the water was actually black 
with dovekies, and the rocks crowded. (48) 
The part of the channel they were now coasting was 
narrower, but as they proceeded it seemed to widen 
again. There was some ice arrested by a bend of the 
channel on the eastern shore; and, on reaching a low 
gravel point, they saw that a projection of land shut 
them in just ahead to the north. Upon this ice nume¬ 
rous seal were basking, both the netsik and ussuk. 
To the left of this, toward the West Land, the great 
channel (Kennedy Channel) of open water continued. 
There was broken ice floating in it, but with passages 
fifteen miles in width and perfectly clear. The end of 
the point—“Gravel Point,” as Morton called it—was 
covered with hummocks and broken ice for about two 
miles from the water. This ice was worn and full of 
gravel. Six miles inland, the point was flanked by 
mountains. 
