MARINE BIOLOGY WINTER QUARTERS, 

 1911-1913 



BY E. W. NELSON 



BEFORE the collections have been examined it is difficult to say 

 much about scientific results. The following is a very brief 

 account of the biological work undertaken from the Cape Evans 

 shore station during the two years the Expedition wintered there. 



In the late summer of 1911 a trip was made across the Barne 

 Glacier to Cape Royds. 



The lakes in the vicinity of Sir Ernest Shackleton's winter 

 quarters were covered with only a very few inches of ice, showing 

 that, with the exception of Blue Lake, they had thawed out that 

 summer. Clear Lake was tow-netted by cutting a long slit in the 

 ice and dragging the tow-net backwards and forwards. Small 

 catches were obtained containing chiefly unicellular algae and 

 protozoa. A few rotifers were caught, but no specimens of the 

 blood-red species Philodina gregoria, found in such quantity by 

 Mr. Murray, could be discovered. The masses of filamentous 

 algae described by him are a constant feature of any lake frozen 

 or thawed. Contrary to our expectation none of the larger lakes 

 thawed out again during our stay. 



On the return to Cape Evans an attempt was made to carry 

 out a suggestion made by Mr. E. T. Browne. The sea was not 

 yet frozen over, and the idea was to drop a tow-net from a kite 

 flown out over the sea and then pull the net in to shore. A kite 

 was made and the net dropped about 250 yards out, but unfortu- 

 nately small floating ice crystals choked the net and completely 

 spoilt the catches. 



After the sea had frozen over the general winter work was 

 commenced. A hole was cut through the ice and a wall of ice 

 blocks built round to afford some shelter from the wind. This 

 hole had to be cut every day, freezing during the night to as 

 much as two feet thick. 



