19S SCOTT'S LAST EXPEDITION [May 



a fair amount of paraffin, with smaller supplies of assorted 

 articles — the whole sufficient to afford provision for such a 

 party as ours for about six or eight months if well administered. 

 In case of necessity this would undoubtedly be a very useful 

 reserve to fall back upon. These stores are somewhat scattered, 

 and the hut has a dilapidated, comfortless appearance due to 

 its tenantless condition; but even so it seemed to me much less 

 inviting than our old Discovery hut at C. Armitage. 



After a cup of cocoa there was nothing to detain us, and 

 we started back, the only useful articles added to our weights 

 being a scrap or two of leather and five hymn-books. Hitherto 

 we have been only able to muster seven copies; this increase will 

 improve our Sunday Services. 



TJ^ednesday, May 24. — A quiet day with northerly wind; 

 the temperature rose gradually to zero. Having the night duty, 

 did not go out. The moon has gone and there is little to attract 

 one out of doors. 



Atkinson gave us an interesting little discourse on para- 

 sitology, with a brief account of the life history of some ecto- and 

 some endo-parasites — Nematodes, Trematodes. He pointed out 

 how that in nearly every case there was a secondary host> how 

 in some cases disease was caused, and in others the presence of 

 the parasite was even helpful. He acknowledged the small 

 progress that had been made in this study. He mentioned 

 ankylostomiasis, blood-sucking worms, Bilhartsia (Trema- 

 tode) attacking bladder (Egypt), Filaria (round tapeworm), 

 Guinea worm, Trichina (pork), and others, pointing to disease 

 caused. 



From worms he went to Protozoa — Trypanosomes, sleep- 

 ing sickness, host tsetse-fly — showed life history comparatively, 

 propagated in secondary host or encysting in primary host — 

 similarly malarial germs spread by Anopheles mosquitoes — all 

 very interesting. 



In the discussion following Wilson gave some account of the 

 grouse disease worm, and especially of the Interest in finding 

 free living species almost Identical; also part of the life of 

 disease worm is free living. Here we approached a point pressed 

 by Nelson concerning the degeneration consequent on adoption 

 of the parasitic habit. All parasites seem to have descended 

 from free living beasts. One asks ' what Is degeneration? ' with- 



