pril 16 the last penguin was seen on a ledge overhanging an icy cove
to the east. Apparently its moulting time had not expired, but it was
certainly a very miserable bird, smothered in small icicles and snow and
partly exposed to a sixty-five mile wind with the temperature close to
-10 degrees F. Petrels were often seen flying along the foreshores and
no wind appeared to daunt them. It was certainly a remarkable thing to
witness a snow-petrel, small, light and fragile, making headway over the
sea in the face of an eighty-mile hurricane, fluttering down through the
spindrift to pick up a morsel of food which it had detected. Close to
the western cliffs there was a trail of brash-ice where many birds were
often observed feeding on Euphausia (crustaceans) in weather when it
scarcely seemed possible for any living creature to be abroad.

[TEXT ILLUSTRATION]

The meteorological chart for April 12, 1913, compiled by the
Commonwealth Meteorological Bureau

Mr. Hunt appends the following explanation: "A very intense cyclone
passing south of Macquarie Island, where the barometer fell on the 11th
from 29.49 at 9 A.M. to 29.13 at 6 P.M., and the next day to 28.34 at
9 A.M. and 27.91 at 6 P.M. At Adelie Land the barometer was not greatly
affected, but rose in sympathy with the passage of the 'low' from 28.70
to 28.90 during the twenty-four hours. The influence of this cyclone was
very wide and probably embraced both Adelie Land and Tasmania."

Throughout April news by wireless came in slowly and spasmodically, and
Jeffryes was becoming resigned to the eccentricities of the place. As
an example of the unfavourable conditions which sometimes prevailed: on
April 14 the wind was steady, in the nineties, with light drift and,
at times, the aurora would illumine the north-west sky. Still, during
"quiet" intervals, two messages came through and were acknowledged.

A coded weather report, which had priority over all other messages, was
sent out each night, and it is surprising how often Jeffryes managed to
transmit this important intelligence. On evenings when receiving was an
impossibility, owing to a continual stream of St. Elmo's fire, the three
code words for the barometric reading, the velocity and direction of
the wind were signalled repeatedly and, on the following night, perhaps,
Macquarie Island would acknowledge them. Of course we had to use new
signs for the higher wind velocities, as no provision had been made for
them