18 BOTANICAL RESULTS OF THE SCOTTISH NATIONAL ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION. 



merits a visit, and in view of its probable accessibility at all times of the year, even 

 in an iron vessel, it is to be hoped it will not be long before we have some definite 

 knowledge of the natural history of the island and its surrounding waters. Gough 

 Island, I can assure any intending botanical explorer, will more than repay a visit, 

 and it is not difficult of access, though landing may be a little troublesome. 1 Many 

 important botanical discoveries could be relied on. 



The six islands lying in the extreme South Atlantic, which were discovered and 

 named by Cook in 1775 the South Sandwich group, are probably the most neglected 

 spot in all sub-antarctic regions, and no expedition since that of Bellingshausen in 1820, 

 with the ships Wostok and Mirny, has visited them, though several sealers and whalers 

 report that they are quite accessible and contain some good harbours, especially one 

 on Bristol Island. Forster, the German naturalist who accompanied Cook, says no 

 vegetation was to be seen, though Cook himself mentions that he observed vegetation 

 to the north end of Saunders Island. Morrell in his somewhat doubtful voyage of 1823, 

 speaking of the islands, says they are " entirely barren." The Scotia, on her first 

 Antarctic voyage in 1903, passed within twenty miles of Southern Thule, the southern- 

 most island of the group, but thick and boisterous weather prevented a nearer approach 

 and time was too precious for the southern cruise to admit of delay : on our return 

 from Coats Land in 1904 an attempt was made to reach the group, but continual 

 adverse gales and a shortage of coal caused the project to be abandoned. Nothing 

 therefore is really known of this group, and a large field is open for some future 

 explorer. 2 It is to be hoped that the Deutschland will succeed in her contemplated 

 exploration of this group. Probably it will be found that all the islands of the group are 

 not barren of vegetation, while their extreme interest from a botanical point of view lies 

 in their position intermediate between Antarctic and sub-antarctic zones, the southern- 

 most islands approximating to the Antarctic conditions, though doubtless not quite so 

 rigorous, and the northernmost islands no doubt having a climate somewhat similar to 

 that of South Georgia, or perhaps a little more severe. In this chain of islands extend- 

 ing through three degrees of latitude, one should be able to study the gradual transition 

 from sub-antarctic to Antarctic flora in a way which no other part of the south polar 

 regions permits. There is every reason, therefore, to expect that the vegetation of the 

 northern islands will approximate to that of South Georgia, and that of the southern 

 islands, at least Thule and Bristol Islands, will. show some similarity to the true 

 Antarctic facies. The floral statistics should also prove of great interest, and may throw 

 some light on the vexed question of the origin of southern floras and former land 

 connections. The flora, especially of Traversey and Candlemas Islands, will probably 

 show a distinct South Georgian and consequently South American relationship, but 



1 " Diego Alvarez, or Gough Island," R. N. Rudmose Brown, Scot. Geog. Mag., xxi. p. 430 et seq. 



1 An account of some zoological collections made at the Sandwich group by Captain Larsen and Dr F. Lahille of 

 Buenos Aires has recently appeared (Ann. de Mat. Nac. de Hist. Nat., ser. iii. vol. xiv.), but at the time of going to 

 press I have not heard whether this expedition had any botanical results. The Deutschland in November 1911 was 

 said to have visited this group of islands. 



