238 IOWA STUDIES IN NATURAL HISTORY 
I heard many stories of Shackleton, Mawson, Amundsen and Scott, 
from citizens who knew these men personally. One of these stories 
related to the cause of the tragic ending of Scott’s last expedition 
and revealed one of the real reasons for its failure. I do not feel 
at liberty to give the entire story as it was told to me, presumably, 
in confidence; but it indicated that Captain Scott died through a 
chivalrous determination to keep his promise that a certain one 
of his party should accompany him to the South Pole in spite of 
the solemn warning of New Zealand friends that this man would 
break down under the strain and wreck the whole expedition. 
That man did go to the pole and did break down and had to be 
hauled by his weary companions on the long terrible return trip, 
thus delaying the party until death finally overtook them when 
one more day’s journey would have brought them to their base of 
supplies. 
At the Canterbury Museum I had the pleasure of making the 
acquaintance of Professor Robert Speight, the curator, and an 
accomplished naturalist. We discussed the matter of exchanging 
specimens, particularly bird skins. He was quite willing to ar- 
range for such an exchange but said that permission must be 
secured from the Dominion Government through Mr. Hislop. It 
seems to be the feeling here that the Government favors the 
Dominion Museum at Wellington in such matters, and that the 
other institutions are badly handicapped on account of legal re- 
strictions which hinder and often prevent exchanges with foreign 
institutions. Professor Speight authorized Mr. Archey to put 
aside a series of bird skins for exchange with the museum of the 
State University of Iowa, provided authorization could be secured 
from the Dominion officials. This attempt evidently failed as I 
was informed after returning home that on account of legal re- 
strictions it was impractical to carry out our plans. 
That evening I enjoyed the hospitality of Mr. Archey’s home 
and found the same warm-hearted friendliness which seems char- 
acteristic of British Colonials wherever I have been. He has a 
wile and two children and his wife’s parents. Mr. McGee, Mrs. 
Archey’s father, assured me that every British and Colonial child 
was taught in school that America was right when she went into 
the Revolutionary War against England. 
The next day I enjoyed an all-day outing with Mr. Archey. 
We started at nine on a jaunt to Port Hills overlooking Lyttelton 
Harbor. We took a tram-car across the outskirts of Christchurch 
