antarctic petrel (Thalassæca antarctica), and the first skua gulls (Megalestris antarctica); two species of penguins (Adelia and Imperial) not yet fully developed, and living on the abundant banks of Euphausia superba, to which also refer for his nutrition the white seal or crab-eater (Lobodon carcinophagus), of which the dentition is disposed after the manner of a seine. The Ross seal (Ommatophoca rossi), with molars atrophid for want of use, lives at the expense of the cephalopods. Besides roam all round a horde of carnivorous animals carrying terror among the lowly fishermen, the sea leopard (Stenorhincus) with redoubtable dentition, in the stomach of which Ross found 28 pounds of fish, and the naturalists of the Discovery found an imperial penguin, entire. Finally, at the end of this carnivorous series, the troops, swift and numerous, of orcas or epaulards (Orca gladiator) swallowing indiscriminately penguins and seals in which it inspires terror. The crab-eating seal, the most abundant on the ice pack, shows frequent scars, indicative of fights with the orca. Upon the ice pack which fringes the shore of Victoria Land, the fauna is less varied, but this struggle for existence is also less severe. Toward the border, nearest the open water, the herd of manchots in October install their strange dwellings, of which Mr. Wilson, after the explorers of Cape Adare, gives a picturesque description. It is there that they breed, commonly in low places, sometimes upon rather high hills but within easy reach of permanent or periodic openings in the ice pack, feeding zealously their young, in spite of the ravages which the sea gulls make in their ranks. In these rookeries thousands and thousands of penguins frisk and strive among themselves with great noise and amidst an insupportable odor. Messrs. Wilson and Royds have determined as a result of heroic visits pursued under trying atmospheric conditions toward the colony of Cape Crozier, 50 miles from the ship, that two animals in particular are in habitat and custom symbolic of the peculiarly severe climate of Victoria Land; these are the Weddell seal (Leptonychotes weddelli) and the imperial manchot or penguin. The Weddell seal, credulous and trustful, for it knows no enemies in the compact ice where it ordinarily stays, lives upon the fish that swarm beneath the ice. It remains even in winter digging itself holes in the sea ice, and spending the coldest seasons in the water. During the polar night its grunt was heard as it swam beneath the ship. Its body is almost never scarred like that of the crab-eater, for the orca can with difficulty reach it. The Weddell seal is little disturbed by the presence of men; thus it furnished an easy and abundant prey to help out the menus of the expedition. On the other hand, the naturalists of the Discovery recognized and studied on Cape Crozier the first colony of the imperial manchot penguins) that has been described. They collected eggs and a few of the young of this magnificient bird, which measures from 1 to 1.2 meters, and weighs from 30 to 40 kilograms. This bird it appears breeds on the ice, at the foot of Ross Barrier, in the heart of winter, and as early as the month of July. It builds no nests but places its eggs on the dorsal surface of its feet and covers them with a fold of the skin of its abdomen. The different members of the colony while fighting over the eggs and the young bring about among them an enormous mortality, equal to 77 per cent. A few weeks after the hatching the manchot trusts itself to the drift ice and is borne away to the north with its young. The description of this singular animal, so well adapted to the strange antarctic life, is entirely new. In brief, the expedition of the Discovery has, thanks to the particularly happy choice of winter quarters, made a substantial addition to our knowledge of Victoria Land. Indeed, it would seem that there was left to future expeditions only the task of gleaning, except so far as concerns the making of collections of marine animals, where the field of discovery is yet enormous. Author's additional note, May 31, 1910.-The extraordinary results obtained since the publication of this article, by the expedition of Sir E. H. Shackleton, the determination of the south magnetic pole, the ascent of Mount Erebus, and, above all, the discovery of a high frozen plateau, 3,000 to 3,500 meters in altitude, around the Antarctic Pole, have shown that we have been too modest in our prophecies. We can say without reserve that the most extensive remaining field for discovery lies in the mysterious southern world. It is perhaps the last terrestrial region where we can now expect sensational discoveries in pure geography. SOME RESULTS OF THE BRITISH ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION, 1907-9. [With 6 plates and 3 maps.] By E. H. SHACKLETON, C. V. O. The British Antarctic expedition, 1907-9, left Port Lyttelton, New Zealand, on January 1, 1908, for the south. In this article I will not attempt to deal in detail with the preliminary arrangements and with the equipment. The amount of money at my disposal had been limited, and economies had been necessary in various directions; but I had been able to get together a small body of well-qualified men, and we were fully equipped as far as food, clothing, sledges, etc., were concerned. We had a motor car, ponies, and dogs for haulage purposes. The generosity of the admiralty in lending the expedition a number of instruments enabled me to make the scientific equipment fairly complete. The Nimrod, in which the journey to the winter quarters on the Antarctic Continent had to be undertaken, was certainly small for the work, and left Lyttelton with scarcely 3 feet of freeboard, a somewhat serious matter in view of the fact that very heavy weather had to be faced. On the other hand, the ship was very sturdy, well suited to endure rough treatment in the ice. The shore party consisted of fifteen men, my companions being as follows: Lieut. J. B. Adams, R. N. R., meteorologist. Bertram Armytage, in charge of ponies. Sir Philip Brocklehurst, assistant geologist. Prof. T. W. Edgeworth David, F. R. S., geologist. Bernard Day, electrician and motor expert. Ernest Joyce, in charge of general stores, dogs, sledges, and zoolog ical collections. Dr. A. F. Mackay, surgeon. Dr. Eric Marshall, surgeon, cartographer. G. E. Marston, artist. a Reprinted by permission from The Geographical Journal, London, vol. 34, No. 5, November, 1909. Douglas Mawson, mineralogist and petrologist. Raymond Priestley, geologist. William Roberts, cook. Frank Wild, in charge of provisions. Professor David, of Sydney University, joined the expedition at the last moment, and the services of such an experienced scientific man were invaluable. Douglas Mawson was lecturer in mineralogy and petrology at the Adelaide University. James Murray had been biologist on the Scottish Lake survey, and had made a special study of microscopic zoology, a circumstance that led to most important discoveries in the frozen lakes of Ross Island. Joyce and Wild, like myself, had served on the National Antarctic Expedition. My original intention was to winter on King Edward VII Land, a part of the Antarctic Continent at present quite unknown. The Nimrod was towed to the Antarctic circle, a distance of 1,500 miles, in order that her small supply of coal might be conserved, and we were soon in the belt of ice that guards the approach to the Ross Sea. The navigation of the ice was not more than usually difficult, and on January 16 we entered the Ross Sea in 178° 58′ E. long. (approximate). Keeping a southwesterly course, we sighted the Great Ice Barrier on January 23, and proceeded to skirt the ice edge in an easterly direction toward Barrier Inlet (Balloon Bight), the spot selected by me as the site for the winter quarters. I knew that the inlet was practically the beginning of King Edward VII Land, and that it would be an easy matter for the ship, in the following summer, to reach us there, whereas the land sighted by the Discovery expedition might be unattainable if the season were adverse. In 165° E. long., near the point where Borchgrevink landed in 1900, we sighted beyond 6 or 7 miles of flat ice, steep-rounded cliffs, having the appearance of ice-covered land. We could not stop to investigate. The plan proved impracticable, for we found that Barrier Inlet had disappeared. Many miles of the Barrier edge had calved away, and instead of the narrow bight there was a wide bay joining up with Borchgrevink's Inlet, and forming a depression that we called the Bay of Whales. We accordingly made an attempt to reach King Edward VII Land, but here again we were unsuccessful. The way was barred by heavy consolidated pack, into which bergs were frozen, and this ice stretched for to the north. The season was advancing, the Nimrod was leaking, as a result of severe gales on the journey south, and I decided that we had better proceed direct to McMurdo Sound and establish the winter quarters there. The Nimrod entered the sound on January 29, and was brought up by fast ice 20 miles from Hut Point, the spot at which the Discovery expedition |