The alternative terms descriptive of the different meanings are ice covered and ice eroded.

To-day I have been helping the Soldier to design pony rugs; the great thing, I think, is to get something which will completely cover the hindquarters.

Tuesday, June 6.—­The temperature has been as high as +19 deg. to-day; the south wind persisted until the evening with clear sky except for fine effects of torn cloud round about the mountain.  To-night the moon has emerged from behind the mountain and sails across the cloudless northern sky; the wind has fallen and the scene is glorious.

It is my birthday, a fact I might easily have forgotten, but my kind people did not.  At lunch an immense birthday cake made its appearance and we were photographed assembled about it.  Clissold had decorated its sugared top with various devices in chocolate and crystallised fruit, flags and photographs of myself.

After my walk I discovered that great preparations were in progress for a special dinner, and when the hour for that meal arrived we sat down to a sumptuous spread with our sledge banners hung about us.  Clissold’s especially excellent seal soup, roast mutton and red currant jelly, fruit salad, asparagus and chocolate—­such was our menu.  For drink we had cider cup, a mystery not yet fathomed, some sherry and a liqueur.

After this luxurious meal everyone was very festive and amiably argumentative.  As I write there is a group in the dark room discussing political progress with discussions—­another at one corner of the dinner table airing its views on the origin of matter and the probability of its ultimate discovery, and yet another debating military problems.  The scraps that reach me from the various groups sometimes piece together in ludicrous fashion.  Perhaps these arguments are practically unprofitable, but they give a great deal of pleasure to the participants.  It’s delightful to hear the ring of triumph in some voice when the owner imagines he has delivered himself of a well-rounded period or a clinching statement concerning the point under discussion.  They are boys, all of them, but such excellent good-natured ones; there has been no sign of sharpness or anger, no jarring note, in all these wordy contests! all end with a laugh.

Nelson has offered Taylor a pair of socks to teach him some geology!  This lulls me to sleep!

Wednesday, June 7.—­A very beautiful day.  In the afternoon went well out over the floe to the south, looking up Nelson at his icehole and picking up Bowers at his thermometer.  The surface was polished and beautifully smooth for ski, the scene brightly illuminated with moonlight, the air still and crisp, and the thermometer at -10 deg..  Perfect conditions for a winter walk.

In the evening I read a paper on ‘The Ice Barrier and Inland Ice.’  I have strung together a good many new points and the interest taken in the discussion was very genuine—­so keen, in fact, that we did not break up till close on midnight.  I am keeping this paper, which makes a very good basis for all future work on these subjects. (See Vol.  II.)