114 



NATURE 



\Pcc. lo, 1874 



the third tyne, d, of my figure joins the beam. Whether 

 this kind of antler belongs to a well-marked variety of 

 Fallow Deer or to a closely-allied species, I will not offer 

 an opinion. It seems, however, safer to follow Professors 

 Lartet, Gaudry, and most of the naturahsts since the days 

 of Cuvier, in keeping the fossil separate from the living 

 forms, none of which present, so far as I know, a siniilar 

 variation of antler. Till such an antler be found it is 

 better to keep the animals apart in classification. And 

 even if they be viewed as belonging to one species, they 

 have only been met with in Pleistocene deposits in this 

 country and in France, and they may reasonably be 

 taken as visitors from the south, such as the contemporary 

 hippopotami. In any case I would submit that they do 

 not afford satisfactory grounds for believing with Dr. 

 Sclater that the present distribution of the Fallow Deer 

 in Northern and Central Europe by the hand of man is 

 " an ancient fable." It is undoubtedly an ancient belief, 

 and it is one which can be proved to some extent to be 

 true by an appeal to the records of history. 



To enter into the ciuestion of the introduction of Fallow 

 Deer into Northern Europe would far outleap the limits 

 of an article. A reference to Lenz's " Zoologie der Alten," 

 and to Neckam's "Natural History," will show to what an 

 extent the wealthy Romans and mediaeval barons were in 

 the habit of nnporting wild and rare animals for the chase, 

 as well as for the sake of mere curiosity. 



W. BOVD Dawkins 



THE ENGLISH ARCTIC EXPEDITION 



SINCE our note of last week, the preparations for the 

 Arctic Expedition have been advanced an important 

 stage by the selection of Capt. Nares, of H.M.S. Clial- 

 lcn<;cr, to command the expedition. The choice is a 

 happy one. Capt. Nares distinguished himself on board 

 the Resolute in the Arctic Expedition of 1 85 2-54, serving 

 with M'Clintock, Mecham, and Vesey Hamilton. He 

 led the depot sledge for Mecham's more extended 

 journey. On that occasion he went over 665 miles in 

 sixty-five days, while his efficient assistance enabled 

 Mecham to cover 1,006 miles of ground in ninety- 

 four days. Nares was also foremost in providing amuse- 

 ment for the men during the winter quarters, one of 

 the most essential qualifications for Arctic work. His 

 recent experience in the Challenger will have made him 

 thoroughly acquainted with the duties required of the 

 commander of a scientific expedition. Commander A. 

 H. Markham, of H.M.S. Sultan, will also take a pro- 

 minent position in the expedition. Capt. Nares was at 

 Hong Kong when he received the telegram offering the 

 command, and probably by this time is on his way home. 

 The command of the Challenger will, it is understood, 

 be entrusted to Capt. Frank T. Thomson, now in com- 

 mand of H.M.S. aiodeste, in China, and who was the first 

 captain selected for official duties in the Royal Naval 

 College at Greenwich. 



We announced, a fortnight ago, that the Admiralty 

 had selected Rear-Admiral Richards, C.B., F.R.S., 

 Rear-Admiral Sir Leopold M'Clintock, F.R.S., and 

 Rear-Admiral Sherard Osborn, C.B., F.R.S., to advise 

 them as to the preparations that should be made. This 

 Committee met for the first time on Tuesday week, 

 and have been sitting periodically since. 



We understand that the Foreign Office is about to 

 inquire of the United States Government whether the 

 stores sent to a depot on the west coast of Greenland for 

 the use of the Polaris are desired to remain there, or 

 whether they may be made available for our expedition. 

 If the United States consent to transfer these stores, it 

 will be of considerable advantage to our ships. 



Active preparations are being made at the Royal 

 \'ictoria Victualling Yard at Deptford, for provisioning 



the ships which are to be engaged in the expedition. For 

 this purpose 15,000 lb. of beef are undergoing a process 

 of preservation. 



It has been proposed, and no doubt very properly, 

 that no persons not actually belonging to the navy can 

 be allowed to take part in the expedition. This, how- 

 ever, effectually precludes any naturalist — as such — 

 being attached to the staff. But the work to be done 

 will (principally consist in making collections to be 

 worked up at home. And there is no reason to doubt 

 that, as in the expedition of the Erebus and Terror, 

 men will be found officially qualified for attachment to 

 the expedition who will use every opportunity of securing 

 for British science the credit of determining the nature of 

 the fauna and flora of the regions in immediate proximity 

 to the pole. 



How great an interest is felt amongst naturalists as to 

 the biological results of the expedition, may easily be 

 imagined on reading the following passage from Mark- 

 ham's " Threshold of the Unknown Region " (pp. 201, 

 202) : — 



" The winter quarters were in a harbour called ' Thank 

 God' Bay, in lat. 81° 38' N., and long. 61° 44' N., which 

 the Polaris reached on Sept. 3. . . . The climate of the 

 winter quarters was found to be much milder than it is 

 several degrees further south. In June the plain sur- 

 rounding ' Thank God ' Bay was free from snow ; a 

 creeping herbage covered the ground, on which numerous 

 herds of musk oxen found pasture, and rabbits and lem- 

 mings abounded. The wild flowers were brilliant, and 

 large flocks of birds came northward in the summer." 



The Kew Herbarium possesses four plants presented to 

 it by Commander Markham, who obtained them from Dr. 

 Bessels, of the Polaris. They were co'lected in 82° N. 

 lat., " the most northern position from which any phane- 

 rogamic vegetation has hitherto been procured. The 

 locality appears to have been on the east side of Smith's 

 Sound. The species are Draba alpina, L. ; Cerastium 

 alpinuni, L. ; Taraxaeuin Dens-leonis, Desf. var. ; and 

 PoaJIexuflsa, Wahl." (Nature, vol. viii. p. 4S7.) 



The importance of obtaining information about the 

 marine forms of life, both anim.al and vegetable, needs 

 no insisting upon. 



NOTES 



It will interest our readers to hear that the Berlin Academy 

 of Sciences has set aside a certain sum of money, which will 

 enable it to call to Berlin eminent men of science, who will have 

 no teaching duties to perform. Prof. Kirchhoff has finally 

 decided to accept the directorship of the Observatory for Solar 

 P.hysics, now being erected at Potsdam, and will proceed to 

 Berlin to commence his duties in connection with its establish- 

 ment, in the spring. 



It is with great regret that we have to record the death of one 

 of our most promising joimg naturalists, Mr. J. Traherne 

 Moggridge, whose occisional contributions to these columns 

 gave evidence of the powers of observation and retearch for which 

 he was distinguished. His works on " Harvesting Ants and 

 Trap-door .Spiders," and "Contributions to the Flora of 

 Mentone " — the latter beautifully illustrated by his own hand — 

 contained important additions to our knowledge of different 

 branches of science; a "Supplement" to the former of these 

 works is just now issued from the press. Wr. Moggridge's 

 kindly and unassuming manners had endeared him to a large 

 circle of friends. A love of natural history was with him 

 hereditary, being the grandson of Dillwjn, the monographer of 

 the Confervrc, and joint author with Turner of the "Botanist's 

 Guide." He died on Nov. 24, at the age of thirty-two, at 

 Mentone, where the state ofhishealih had compelled him to 

 spend the winter for several yca'S past. One of his great wishes 



