June 10.--The temperature remains low. Yesterday it fell to -32° C. (-25.6° F.), and it seems to linger about the twenties. The weather is more and more settled and steady, as the night advances and the cold increases. The wind is moderate, and it intermits with calm periods, but the barometer is very high. There is little movement in the ice; all the crevasses and leads are closed by new ice, and the _Belgica’s_ berth is now positively secure for a long time to come. The small floes, into which the ice was broken ten days ago, have been pushed over and under each other in such a manner, that the bark has been raised out of the water with an uncomfortable list. We have seen no life for a long time, but there is no open water near. We are inclined to believe that when there is a space of open sea there will be found some life, even at this time. [Illustration: Head and Foot of the Royal Penguin. (_Aptenodytes Forsteri._)] [Illustration: Head and Foot of the Small Pack Penguin. Showing the Changed Summer Plumage under the Bill. (_Pygosulis Adeliae._)] It is the doctor’s birthday. We have had a special feast with champagne. Many efforts were made to lighten the spirits of the men, but our efforts were only of temporary duration. The captain has made the greatest endeavour to break the spell of “shivers” which hung over us. He fixed up in his full-dress suit, and induced the doctor to do the same. In this costume we came to the dining table, and took the cabin by surprise. After a half-hearted meal, a full-hearted exchange of greetings followed a certificate of honour, presented by Captain Lecointe. DOCTOR COOK: I make fast the occasion of your anniversary in order to exprime all the sympathy you suggest to me. In proof of that friendship, and because of that great day, I take the engagement to repair one pair of your knit stockings. Dixi, G. LECOINTE. Antarctic Ocean, S. Y. _Belgica_, June 10, 1898. The amusement, however, was expensive to us, for we shivered and felt most uncomfortable. We had not worn stiff collars nor boiled shirts in seven months; nor had we the custom of arranging neckties and holding our heads and bodies steady enough for the tight fit of our suits. Lecointe made a nautical observation in the suit with an ordinary winter overcoat. The temperature was about -20° C. The stars used for the observation were Jupiter and Canis Majoris, and the position as fixed was latitude 71° 20′ 7″, longitude 87° 17′ 50″. Lecointe declared that he would never try the experiment again. He came to the cabin shivering with a chill, which did not entirely pass off for some minutes.