The only comfort is that the Strait is already frozen again; but what is to happen if every blow clears the sea like this?

Had an interesting walk.  One can go at least a mile up the glacier slope before coming to crevasses, and it does not appear that these would be serious for a good way farther.  The view is magnificent, and on a clear day like this, one still enjoys some hours of daylight, or rather twilight, when it is possible to see everything clearly.

Have had talks of the curious cones which are such a feature of the Ramp—­they are certainly partly produced by ice and partly by weathering.  The ponds and various forms of ice grains interest us.

To-night have been naming all the small land features of our vicinity.

Tuesday, May 2.—­It was calm yesterday.  A balloon was sent up in the morning, but only reached a mile in height before the instrument was detached (by slow match).

In the afternoon went out with Bowers and his pony to pick up instrument, which was close to the shore in the South Bay.  Went on past Inaccessible Island.  The ice outside the bergs has grown very thick, 14 inches or more, but there were freshly frozen pools beyond the Island.

In the evening Wilson opened the lecture series with a paper on ‘Antarctic Flying Birds.’  Considering the limits of the subject the discussion was interesting.  The most attractive point raised was that of pigmentation.  Does the absence of pigment suggest absence of reserve energy?  Does it increase the insulating properties of the hair or feathers?  Or does the animal clothed in white radiate less of his internal heat?  The most interesting example of Polar colouring here is the increased proportion of albinos amongst the giant petrels found in high latitudes.

To-day have had our first game of football; a harassing southerly wind sprang up, which helped my own side to the extent of three goals.

This same wind came with a clear sky and jumped up and down in force throughout the afternoon, but has died away to-night.  In the afternoon I saw an ominous lead outside the Island which appeared to extend a long way south.  I’m much afraid it may go across our pony track from Hut Point.  I am getting anxious to have the hut party back, and begin to wonder if the ice to the south will ever hold in permanently now that the Glacier Tongue has gone.

Wednesday, May 3.—­Another calm day, very beautiful and clear.  Wilson and Bowers took our few dogs for a run in a sledge.  Walked myself out over ice in North Bay—­there are a good many cracks and pressures with varying thickness of ice, showing how tide and wind shift the thin sheets—­the newest leads held young ice of 4 inches.

The temperature remains high, the lowest yesterday -13 deg.; it should be much lower with such calm weather and clear skies.  A strange fact is now very commonly noticed:  in calm weather there is usually a difference of 4 deg. or 5 deg. between the temperature at the hut and that on Wind Vane Hill (64 feet), the latter being the higher.  This shows an inverted temperature.