444 
LAST VOYAGE OF CAPT. ROSS. 
act of bringing forth its young; in fact, every consideration, 
which influences the conduct of the genuine sportsman, appeared 
with them to be of no effect—if their bag were only filled; the 
circumstances, under which it was accomplished, were never 
taken into the account. Amongst the most beautiful of the 
birds, that were killed, were the mountain hawks, or the great 
northern diver, two of which were shot in one day, by Robert 
Shreeve, the carpenter’s mate, the male bird weighing 13tbs, 
3oz. and the female 9tbs lOoz. They were delivered over to 
Capt. Ross, and they appeared as no secondary ornament in his 
cabinet of curiosities. 
Commander Ross having determined to take another excursion, 
the crew were employed, from the 21st to the 24th, preparing 
the necessary materials, provisions, &c., for the journey. From 
the great mortality, that had taken place amongst the dogs, in 
the last excursion, it was found difficult to supply their place; 
for the crew, partly from fatigue, and partly from sickness, 
were by no means in a fit condition to undertake any very 
severe labor ; none of which was, perhaps, more hard and try¬ 
ing to the constitution, than the dragging of a sledge over the 
snow, when the surface had in any degree yielded to the in¬ 
fluence of the sun. In winter, when the snow, from the effect 
of the frost, presents a hard, solid, and almost impenetrable sur¬ 
face, the sledge passes over it with little or no corporeal labor, 
as smoothly as over a sheet of ice; but when the snow begins 
to thaw, the sledge penetrates deeply into it, forming a rut, 
like a plough over a field, and the draught then becomes op¬ 
pressive and severe. 
On the 25th, ten of the ablest hands set out with the boat, to 
convey it to a certain distance, where Commander Ross was 
to take it up, he being in great hopes, with the aid of this boat, 
to cross the various creeks and inlets, which proved such an 
obstacle to him on his former expedition; at the same time, that 
it was of that fragile make, as to offer little safety or pro¬ 
tection, when navigating amongst heavy bodies of ice, impelled 
by the different currents, and thereby driven against the smaller 
bergs, which were grounded at the bottom. The men left the 
