TBANSACTIONS OF SECTION E. 841 



No "wliale tesemWing Balccna niysticetus, i.e., the Bowbead or Greenland black 

 whale, was seen ; but many finbacks, some buncbbacks, bottlencses, grampuses, 

 and several kinds of seals, the hunting of which in default of whales was the 

 object of the voyage. 



2. On the Antarctic Expedition of 1892-93. By C. W. Donald, M.B. 



Originally proposed as a commercial undertaking, the object of which was ta 

 discover a true whalebone whale living under similar conditions to the black or 

 Greenland whale of the north, the idea of combining with it some scientific 

 research originated with the Eoyal Geographical Society. We made the ice on 

 December 18, sighting the South Shetlands on the same day. The bergs differ 

 greatly from those of the north, being flat-topped and having perpendicular cliffs. 

 This characteristic shape I believe to be due to the conformation of the land,, 

 which is almost wholly of a volcanic nature. On Christmas Day we lay anchored 

 to an ice floe in lat. 64° 23' S., long. 60° 14' AV. The scenery was marvellous. 

 From our position on that day the mountains of Palmer's Land lay to the west, 

 culminating in the peak of Mount Haddington (7,050 feet). The ice floe stretched 

 to the south as far as the eye could reach. To the east lay a long chain of bergs, 

 their perpendicular faces tinged a bright red by the low sun ; to the north, the 

 loose scattered ice, small bergs, and dark water channels through which we had 

 just steamed. "VVe discovered a channel running from east to west through 

 Joinville Island, cutting oft' its southern portion as a separate island, which our 

 captain called Dundee Island. Along the shores of this channel were four 

 penguin rookeries, two of which were visited. Near the southern shore lies a 

 sunken reef on which we had the misfortune to run aground. Happily we got 

 oft' without accident. A number of geological specimens, fossils, and photographs 

 were obtained. We arrived at Dundee early in June, having been absent a little 

 over nine months. 



3. On the Importance of Antarctic Exploration. 

 By Admiral Sir Erasmus Ommannet. 



4. Recent Exploration in Tihet. By E. Delmar Morgan. 



While the general features of Tibet have been known from very early times it 

 has been reserved for modern explorers to acquaint us more closely with the leading 

 characteristics of this marvellous region. Especially is this the case with the 

 northern and central parts of this country, left blank on our maps. The list of 

 these explorations begins with the Brothers Schlagintweit and ends witli Captain 

 Bower and Dr. Thorold's and Mr. llockhill's recent journeys. Their discoveries 

 have opened out new fields of research in hitherto inaccessible parts. They have 

 ascertained the continuity of the Kuen Luen system through twenty degrees of 

 longitude, and made known the direction and structure of its principal chains. 

 They have shown the lacustrine character of the central plateaus, and traced 

 almost to their sources some of the mightiest rivers of Asia. They have thrown 

 light on the climatic conditions of these lofty deserts, and seen an extraordinary 

 abundance of animal life on them. Their researches have proved the existence in, 

 former times of a line of flourishing oases along the northern foot of the Kuen 

 Luen, by which the Chinese silk trade passed in the middle ages, and have brought 

 to light the rich gold-fields of Northern Tibet. The leading features of this terra 

 incognita are well described in Captain Bower's diary, and the whole subject of 

 Tibetan exploration has been treated in the most thorough and admirable manner 

 by M. Dutreuil de Rhins in his ' Asie Centrale.' 



5. On the Bengal Duars. By Edward Heawood, M.A., F.E.G.S. 



The term 'Duars' is applied to a tract of country lying along the foot of the 

 Himalayas of Bhutan, and including the ' doors ' or passes into that country. 

 The first ranges here rise like a wall, wooded to their summits, from an undulating 



