xii PREFACE 



It would seem, therefore, that in East Antarctica the great " Schild " has formed a 

 land surface, subsequent to the extensive lower Cambrian transgression, from Devonian 

 times down to the present. 



The late Cainozoic, including recent, Palseogeography of Antarctica, based on 

 palasontological and biological evidence, has been well summarised by C Hedley in 

 the " Pi'oceedings " of the Linnean Society, London, for 1913.* 



A feature of tlie greatest possible interest in connection with Antarctica is the 

 recent discovery by R. C. Mossman that there is a causal connection between the 

 state of the ice in Weddell Sea, the height of the barometer in the South Orkneys, 

 and the rainfall in Chili and in the Parand. region, together with the depth of water 

 in the Parand River. Mucli ice in the Weddell Sea region appears to bring about a 

 high barometer at the South Orkneys, and this high pressui'e seems to drive the 

 rainy belts of the sub-tropics of the Southern Hemisphere nearer to the equator than 

 usual. Thus, on Mossman's theory, Antarctica acts meteorologically as a great tension 

 screw. Presumably, if the alternations of relatively colder and relatively warmer 

 conditions take place synchronously at either pole, such part of the earth's atmosphere 

 as lies between the polar circles is alternately compressed or expanded, with a 

 concertina-like movement, according as to whether the area of the ice there is above 

 or below the normal in extent. This very suggestive theory induces the ho])e that it 

 may hereafter be possible, by means of the vvii-eless station established by Dr. Mawson 

 at Macquarie Island (subsequently taken over by the Commonwealth), to trace a 

 connection between the state of the ice in the Ross Sea and the weather of Australasia. 

 To complete the essential observations it would be necessary to establish a wireless 

 meteorological station in Antarctica itself, and there can be no doubt that in course 

 of time this will be an accomplished fact. Thus, by the increased accuiacy of the 

 weather forecasts, not only will trade and commerce be promoted, but, it is hoped, 

 many a shipwreck averted. Surely such a result would justify all the cost, hardship, 

 suffering, and even sacrifice of human life which recent Antarctic expeditions have 

 involved ! 



It is hoped that the second volume of this memoir, with papers relating to 

 petrology by Drs. H. I. Jensen and D. Mawson, Professor Skeats, Professor Wool- 

 nough, Dr. Allan Thomson, W. N. Benson, A. B. Walkom, L. A. Cotton, and Miss F. 

 Cohen, and with palseontological papers by F. Chapman and C. Hedley, will be pub- 

 lished within a few months of the date of issue of the present volume. The latter 

 will contain the index and bibliography. We are fully sensible of the fact that in the 

 present memoir we have probably fallen into many errors, arising possibly from too 

 hasty generalisation from slender data, too imperfect a review of the many valuable 

 memoirs of previous writers on this region (a shortcoming, however, which has been 

 almost unavoidable in view of the fact that the whole of this memoir has been 

 elaborated in Australia, where we have not had access to many memoirs on the 



" Tho Pala-ogi-.-ipliic Rel.alions of Antaictica," Clia.'^. Hedley, Proc. Linn. Soc, June G, 1912. 



