May 6, 1915] 
NATURE 
261 

min. from the vertical. This locality was 175 
miles from the point reached by David’s party 
in 1909, so the two journeys gave a nearly full 
section across Antarctica from South Victoria 
Land to Wilkes Land. 
These great sledge journeys, combined with 
Capt. Davis’s soundings along the coast, have 
proved the existence of land all along this part 
of Antarctica, though somewhat south of the posi- 
tions where it was reported by Wilkes. Thus the 
Aurora sailed in clear weather over the site of 
the land marked by Wilkes to the east of his 
Cape Carr. Nevertheless, the result of the expe- 
dition is to confirm the general belief that from Cape 
| or land extends 
in 
some north of the 
places 
circle. 
The greatest trial of the expedition was the 
terrific violence of the wind. Gusts of wind are 
recorded with a velocity of two hundred miles per 
hour. The rate of 180 miles per hour is said 
(vol. .1., p. 168) to have been common. ‘The 
average velocities recorded for whole days are un- 
precedented. Thus on May 15 the mean for the 
whole twenty-four hours is given as ninety miles 
per hour. On May 18, a year later, it was 937 
miles. The average for May was 607 miles per 
hour. The most appalling testimony to the wind 
strength is the record that the average speed for 

Fic. 1.—The Avrora lying at anchor, Commonwealth Bay. 
foreground is a striking formation originating by the freezing of spray dashed up by the hurricane wind. 
of the Blizzard.” (W. Heinemann.) 
Adare, for more than 80° westward, is one con- 
tinuous ice-capped land, which forms the northern 
coast of Antarctica. Mawson attaches the name 
of the American explorer to a small part of this 
area, but the name of Wilkes Land appears too 
firmly established for the whole of it to be easily 
displaced. The discovery by ‘the expedition of 
Queen Mary Land in the west, the long line of 
land to the west of Adelie Land, and of King 
George V. Land on the east has definitely estab- 
lished the northern coast of Antarctica in this 
district as approximately along the line of the 
antarctic circle. There are indications, how- 
ever, from the charts that either shallow water 
NO. 2375, VOL. 95] 
In the distance the ice slopes of the mainland are visible rising to a height of 2000 feet. 
In the 
From Sir Douglas Mawscn's ‘The Home 
the whole year was fifty miles per hour (vol. ii., 
p- 157). Both volumes contain repeated refer- 
ences to hardships due to these hurricanes, and 
the prevalence of winds blowing at 100 miles per 
hour with a temperature of —28° F. (vol. i., 
p- 134) justifies Sir Douglas Mawson’s lament 
that owing to “the rushing might of these eternal 
blizzards ” Wilkes Land is ‘‘an accursed country ” 
(p- 134). The wind records were apparently 
mainly made by a Robinson anemometer, which 
we are told was the greatest source of worry; 
and as meteorological authorities have issued fre- 
quent warnings of the untrustworthiness of 
anemometers, opinion as to the exact value of the 
‘ 
