THP] SWEDISH ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION. 473 



times, tliouoh it is, of course, impossible at this time to go further 

 into the matter. The whole formation is generally very rich in rather 

 well-preserved fossils, belonging to numerous groups of marine forms. 

 In the lower part ammonites are common, and the age nuist be con- 

 sidered as Mesozoic; higher up those are wanting, and it is not 

 improbable that the strata here pass into the Tertiary. 



It is in those upper strata that 1 found numerous plant remains, and 

 also remains of some vertebrate animals, showing not only that in a 

 period geologically not very distant, land has existed in this region, 

 but also that the climate was at that time mild, and the land covered 

 by vegetation and inhabited b}^ animals. There is in all this, in the 

 whole configuration of the country as well as in its geology, a very 

 marked analogy to Patagonia, and further studies may prove the 

 resemblance to be still greater. Even the inner channels are interest- 

 ing, because of their analogy with the great plains and the lakes on 

 the eastern side of the Cordillera. But it seems undeniable that there 

 are great diiierences in the structure of the southern Cordillera and the 

 Antarctic mountain chain, and more investigation is necessary to deter- 

 mine whether it is possible to consider this part of Antarctica as a con- 

 tinuation of the South American continent or not. 



Of our other investigations I will here only mention the bacterio- 

 logical work. Just as in the Arctic regions, bacteria are also here 

 scarce; but Doctor Ekelof has made the interesting observation that 

 in the upper layers of the soil there is to be found a comparatively 

 rich flora. 



Our studies came to rather an abrupt end with the arrival of the 

 Argentina relief expedition, as we thought we had reasons to expect 

 that we should have a good deal of the summer at our disposal. Still, 

 the time has been long, and undoubtedl}^ it has been an advantage that 

 the scientific work could be continued two years instead of one. 



III. TH^: Scientific Operations on Board the Antarctic in 

 THE Summer 1902-1903. 



By Dr. .1. Giinnak Andersson. 



On November 5, 19o2, the Antarctic left Ushuaia for the south. 

 The ship had been thoroughly equipped for the coming cruise in the 

 Antarctic sea: a full supply of coal was taken on board, together with 

 some additional provisions in case of having to winter. A plan for a 

 relief expedition was sent to Sweden and to the Scandinavian general 

 consulate in Buenos Ayres. 



As I had been told that coal iiad been recent!}' discovered in Teke- 

 nikaBay, in the southei-n part of the Fuegian Archipelago, I so arranged 

 our route southward that we stoi)})ed two days in this bay to survey 

 the coal-bearing formation. This led to an unexpected result. Instead 



