A GHNERAL NOTICH OF THE BIOLOGICAL 
MEMOIRS. 
THE completion of these fifty memoirs, descriptive of the fauna and flora of that 
part of the Antarctic area which was visited by the ‘ Discovery, under the command 
of Captain Scott, R.N., C.V.O., offers a suitable opportunity for saying a few words 
on the collections that were obtained, and for suggesting some general reflections 
on the inhabitants of the area that was studied. 
First of all we have to note the extraordinary differences between the North 
and the South Polar regions; in the one there is the polar sea, in the other 
solid land. In the one case, the surfaces of its solid places are dominated by 
rapacious Carnivores which, ever hungry in such climes, have compelled all 
defenceless animals to assume the same colour as themselves and the snow on 
which they live. In the other, the absence of ageressors allows the Penguins 
to assume the splendid and beautiful colourations which are so well shown in 
Dr. Wilson’s admirable drawings. 
The Antarctic region, instead of being, as we might imagine, with its 
inhospitable climate, almost devoid of life, teems with species, of which 227 new 
forms are described in these volumes. Of some Amphipoda Mr. Hodgson writes— 
“Tt was quite the usual thing to take 10,000 to 30,000 at a haul.” And 
the collection of the ‘Discovery’ Schizopoda contained one species which was 
represented by nearly 10,000 specimens. Students of Professor Ehlers’ report 
on the Polycheta will have only a faint idea of the number of specimens of 
Harmothoe spinosa brought back by the Expedition. 
The Alga Lessonia grandiflora was found to have a lamina as much as 
24 feet long; on the other hand, M. Cardot noted that most of the species of 
Mosses showed signs, which he has detailed, of the severity of their strugele for 
existence. With the exception of some Algz, no freshwater organisms were 
obtained by the ‘ Discovery’ Expedition. 
