MARINE BIOLOGICAL STATION 225 



In the construction of a house at South Georgia some attention needs to be paid 

 to the accumulation of snow during the winter. Snow falls only occasionally in summer, 

 but in winter it reaches an average depth of five or six feet, even round the coast line, 

 and imposes a very considerable weight on the roofs of buildings. At the Biological 

 Station the warmth of hot-water pipes in the loft prevented any very heavy accumula- 

 tions of snow on the greater part of the roof, but a weak spot was found in the glass roof 

 of the conservatory. This is situated in a corner of the house, where it catches the snow 

 sliding down from more than one section of the iron roof. The snow frequently becomes 

 partially converted to almost solid ice through alternate melting and freezing, and was 

 found to crack and break the glass if it was not regularly scraped away. The snow 

 sliding off the roof also forms large accumulations on the ground and if not removed 

 will mount up to the eaves and obscure the windows. 



The plan of the laboratories has been found very convenient. The large laboratory 

 (Plate XVIII, fig. 2) measures 32 ft. by 15 ft. and has a series of bays along one side, each 

 with benches, shelves, cupboards and sink. There is a long bench in the middle of the 

 room and various shelves, drawers, cupboards, etc., on the side opposite the windows. 



The main laboratory is connected with the exterior by a small laboratory. This has 

 a concrete floor, a lead lined table and a bench with a sink. In connection with work 

 carried on at the whaling station this small laboratory has proved indispensable. It is 

 used mainly for handling large specimens and rough work generally. It also contains 

 an apparatus for the preparation of distilled water, and has been used for miscellaneous 

 operations, such as filtering formalin and preparing skins of birds and seals. 



A small store room opens out of the main laboratory and is used for storing 

 specimen bottles and chemicals. 



Other rooms not included among the living rooms are the workshop and dark room. 

 A workshop of some sort is of course essential for a station in such a place as South 

 Georgia. That at the Biological Station is equipped with a small treadle lathe and suffi- 

 cient tools for all ordinary purposes. 



Little need be said of the living rooms as they do not differ much from those of an 

 ordinary house at home. The walls of the laboratories, workshop and bathroom were 

 painted with washable enamel, and this treatment would have been preferable through- 

 out the building. The house is fitted with a central heating apparatus, burning coke, 

 and there is a coal fire in the sitting room and kitchen. 



The wireless station close by provides electricity for lighting purposes, and a power 

 circuit is fitted, principally for use in the laboratory. 



A pipe line from a dam a few hundred yards away on the mountain side provides water 

 for the Biological Station, Magistrate's house and wireless station. Trouble is experi- 

 enced with this from time to time during the winter. The water in the pipe will never 

 freeze when there is plenty of snow on the ground, but in the early part of the winter, 

 in May and June, there are often sharp frosts before the snow has accumulated to any 

 great extent, and the ground becomes frozen down to a depth of about 3 ft. A water 

 pipe therefore, unless it is buried at a considerable depth along the whole of its length. 



