There was also a fine field for Murray's biological studies; while the lengthening nights gave indications that the mysterious Aurora Australis would soon be waving its curtains and beams over our winter quarters; and as information on this phenomenon was greatly needed, Mawson prepared to record the displays.
Adams was the meteorologist of the expedition, and he took all the observations from 8 A.M. to 8 P.M.; while the night-watchman was responsible for those taken from 10 P.M. to 6 A.M.
In addition to the meteorological screen, Mawson built an erection on the top of the highest ridge, in which he placed an aneurometer of his own construction to register the strength of the heaviest gusts of wind during a blizzard. Frequently the squalls were found to blow with a force of a hundred miles an hour.
There remained one more outdoor instrument connected with weather observation, and that was the snow-gauge. By using some spare lengths of stove chimney, the Professor erected a gauge into which the snow falling in a blizzard was collected, and when it was melted down we could calculate fairly accurately the amount of snowfall.
This observation was very important, as it is on the precipitation in the form of snow, and on the rate of evaporation, that calculations regarding the formation of the huge snowfields and glaciers depend.
As soon as the ice in the bay was strong enough to bear, Murray prepared to capture the different marine creatures that rest on the bottom of the sea or creep about there. His ultimate plan for the capture of specimens was, whenever a crack opened in the bay ice, to let down a line, one end being made fast at one end of the crack, and the length of the line allowed to sink in the water horizontally for a distance of sixty yards.
A hole was dug at each end of the line, and a small dredge was let down and pulled along the bottom, being hauled up through the hole at the far end. By this means rich collections were made, and rarely did the dredge come up without some interesting specimens.
Although terrestrial vegetation is very scanty in the Antarctic, the same cannot be said of the sub-aqueous plant-life; and the investigations of the plant-life in the lakes was one of the principal things undertaken by Murray, Priestley and the Professor during the winter months.
As the winter approached a regular winter routine was arranged for the camp, and apart from Brocklehurst, who was laid up with his frost-bitten foot, all the party had to do a certain amount of work for the common weal, apart from their own scientific duties.
From the time we arrived we always had a night-watchman, and we now took turns to carry out this important duty, Roberts, who was busy cooking all day, being the only one who was exempt from night duties.