h tussock stuck in sea elephants' tusks. The highest temperature
registered on the island during our stay--51.8 degrees F.--was recorded
on Christmas Day, and the sun seemed so warm that Sandell and I ventured
into the sea for a dip, but the temperature of the water was not high
enough to make it an agreeable experience.

During the evening of the 26th we received a message saying that the
'Aurora' had left Hobart on her trip south to bring back the two parties
from Antarctica, but no mention of picking us up on the return journey
was made.

The King penguins and "night birds" had laid by this time, and Hamilton
added more eggs to his collection. He found for the first time a colony
of mutton birds near the south end. He also came upon a mollymawk
rookery on the south-western point of the island, and managed to take
one of the birds by hand.

Blake and he had an accident in the dinghy on the 29th, fortunately
attended by no serious results. They had gone from Lusitania Bay to
the south end, and, while attempting to land through the surf, the boat
struck a rock and capsized, throwing them into the water. They had many
things in the boat but lost only two billies, two pannikins, a sounding
line and Hamilton's hat, knife and pipe. Their blankets floated ashore
in a few minutes, and the oars came floating in later in the day. After
the capsize Hamilton managed to reach the boat and turn her over, and
Blake made for a kelp-hung rock, but, after pulling himself up on to
it, was immediately washed off and had to swim ashore. The boat was
afterwards found to be stove-in in two places, though the breaks were
easily patched up subsequently.

New Year's Eve came and with keen anticipations we welcomed the advent
of 1913.

CHAPTER XXVII THROUGH ANOTHER YEAR

by G. F. Ainsworth

We had now thrown a year behind and the work we set out to accomplish
was almost finished; so it was with pleasurable feelings that we took up
the burden of completion, looking forward to the arrival of April 1913
which should bring us final relief and the prospects of civilisation. I
shall deal with the first three months of the year as one period, since
almost all the field-work, except photography, had been done, and, after
the return of Blake and Hamilton from Lusitania Bay on January 8,
our life was one of routine; much time being devoted to packing and
labelling specimens in anticipation of departure.

The first business of the year was