SCOTT'S LAST EXPEDITION 



THE WINTER JOURNEY 



JUNE 27, 1911, TO AUGUST i, 1911 



THE object of this expedition to the Emperor penguin rookery in 

 the darkness and cold of an Antarctic winter was set forth years 

 before in Dr. Wilson's Report of the Zoology of the Discovery 

 Voyage. It was to secure eggs at such a stage as could furnish a 

 series of early embryos by which alone the particular points of 

 interest in the development of the bird could be worked out; for 

 it seemed probable ' that we have in the Emperor penguin the 

 nearest approach to a primitive form not only of a penguin, but 

 of a bird.' These points could not be investigated in the deserted 

 eggs and chicks which had been obtained in Discovery days. Such 

 a journey ' entailed the risks of sledge travelling in midwinter 

 with an almost total absence of light,' for the Emperor is singular 

 in nesting at the coldest season of the year, and ' the party would 

 have to be on the scene at any rate early in July. ... It would at 

 any time require that a party of three at least, with full camp 

 equipment, should traverse about a hundred miles of the Barrier 

 surface and should, by moonlight, cross over with rope and axe 

 the immense pressure ridges which form a chaos of crevasses at 

 Cape Crozier . . . which have taken a party as much as two 

 hours of careful work to cross by daylight.' 



Furthermore, it afforded an opportunity of obtaining an 

 exact knowledge of the winter conditions on the Barrier at its 

 western end, and throughout its dangers and difficulties Bowers 

 kept a most remarkable meteorological record (given at the end 

 of this volume) the substance of which is embodied in this report. 

 The three travellers also experimented with their sledging rations, 

 each for some time taking a different proportion of pemmican and. 

 biscuit, the results of which were used in order to make up the 

 rations for future use. 



VOL. II I 



