tayed there that night, and the
following, Thursday, morning left. Winds are not too favourable
so far, as we dropped the S.E. Trades almost immediately, and
these are the variables between the Trades and the Westerlies.
Still 2500 miles off our destination. Evans has therefore decided
to steer straight for Simon's Town and miss out the other
islands. It is a pity, but as it is winter down here, and the
worst month of the year for storms at Tristan Da Cunha, it is
perhaps just as well. I am longing to get to the Cape to have
your letters and hear all about you. Except for the absence of
news, life aboard is much to be desired. I simply love it, and
enjoy every day of my existence here. Time flies like anything,
and though it must have been long to you, to us it goes like the
wind--so different to that fortnight on the passage home from
India."[35]

After the return of the boat's crew we left South Trinidad, and the
zoologists had a busy time trying to save as many as possible of the bird
skins which had been procured. They skinned on all through the following
night, and, considering that the birds had been lying out in the tropics
for twenty-four hours soaked with sea-water and had been finally capsized
in the overturned boat, the result was not so disappointing as was
expected. But the eggs and many other articles were lost. Since the
black-breasted and white-breasted petrels were seen flying and nesting
paired together, it is reasonable to suppose that their former
classification as two separate species will have to be revised.

Soon after leaving South Trinidad we picked up our first big long swell,
logged at 8, and began to learn that the Terra Nova can roll as few ships
can. This was followed by a stiff gale on our port beam, and we took over
our first green seas. Bowers wrote home as follows:

_August 7th, Sunday._

"All chances of going to Tristan are over, and we are at last booming
along with strong Westerlies with the enormous Southern rollers lifting
us like a cork on their crests. We have had a stiff gale and a very high
sea, which is now over, though it is still blowing a moderate gale, and
the usual crowd of Albatross, Mollymawks, Cape Hens, Cape Pigeons, etc.,
are following us. These will be our companions down to the South.
Wilson's idea is that, as the prevailing winds round the forties are
Westerlies, these birds simply fly round and round