PREFACE. 



WHEN, in 1901, the Expedition of the 8.8. 'Discovery,' under Captain Scott, R.N., 

 was sent to the Antarctic Regions, the Trustee* of the British Museum gave tlirir 

 assistance to this national enterprise l>y allowing the cases containing the natural 

 history specimens which might be obtained by the Expedition to be sent to the 

 Natural History Museum for unpacking and sorting. They further undertook to 

 publish a detailed report on the collections so obtained, under the superintendence 

 of the Director of the Natural History Departments. 



Some of the most important collections have been dealt with by naturalists who 

 were members of the Expedition. Thus, the Mammals and Birds arc descriled by 

 Dr. Edward A. Wilson, the Isopoda and Pycnogonida by Mr. T. V. Hodgson, and 

 the Rocks (in relation to Field Geology) by Mr. IL T. Ferrar. Other groups have 

 been dealt with by members of the staff of the Natural History Departments of 

 the British Museum : Mr. Boulenger describes the Fishes ; Mr. E. A. Smith, the 

 Gastropoda, Lamellibranchia, and Brachiopoda ; Mr. Jeffrey Bell, the Echinodcrma ; 

 Dr. Caiman, the Crustacea Decapoda, and the Cumacea ; Mr. Kirkpatriek, the non- 

 calcareous Sponges ; whilst Mr. G. T. Prior has prepared a petrographical description 

 of the Rock-specimens. 



It has l>een necessary to obtain the assistance of other specialists in order to deal 

 with the rest of the collections. So far as the latter group of contributors is 

 concerned, the following is a list of the subject-matters, together with the name of the 

 naturalist who has undertaken the work in each case : 



EMBRYOS OF SEALS ..... DR. MARRBTT TIMS. 



ANATOMY OF EMPKROR PENCUIN . . . MR. W. P. PYCRAFT. 



TUNICATA ....... PROF. HERDMAN. 



CEPHALODISCUS ...... DR. RIDKWOOD. 



CEPHALOPODA DR. HOYLE. 



NUDIBRAXCHS AND PTEROPODS . . . SIR CHARLES ELIOT, K.C.M.G. 



POLYZOA . . ... . . . MR. H. W. BfRROWS. 



EGGS AND YOUNG OF ASTERIAS . . . PROF. MAC-BRIDE. 



AMPHIPODA MR. A. <>. WALKER. 



SCHIZOPODA . . . . . .MR. HOLT. 



NEBALI.C DR. J. THIELB. 



OSTRAOODA PROF. BRADY. 



COPEPODA , . DR. WoLFBNDBH. 



MJ4I7I 



