ON GREAT BARRIER REEF. 395 



Great Barrier Reef. — Report of Committee (Rt. Hon. Sir M. Nathan, 

 Chairman ; Prof. J. Stanley Gardiner and Mr. F. A. Potts, 

 Secretaries ; Hon. John Huxham, Treasurer ; Mr. E. Heron Allen, 

 Dr. E. J. Allen, Prof. J. H. Ashworth, Dr. 6. P. Bidder, Dr. 

 R. N. RuDMOSE Brown, Dr. W. T. Calman, SirG. Lenox Conyngham, 

 Sir Edgeworth David, Mr. F. Debenham, Admiral Douglas, 

 Capt. Edgell, Prof. F. E. Fritsch, Prof. W. T. Gordon, Sir S. F. 

 Harmer, Sir Frank Heath, Mr. A. R. Hinks, Dr. Margery Knight, 

 Prof. .4. C. Seward, Dr. Herbert H. Thomas, Dr. C. M. Yonge) 

 appointed to organise an expedition to investigate the biology, geology 

 and geography of the Australian Great Barrier Reef. 

 The Great Barrier Reef Committee met six times in the year. They co-opted Sir 

 Frank Heath and Captain Edgell, whose assistance is gratefully acknowledged. The 

 Empire Marketing Board made a grant of £2,500 towards the purposes of the Expedi- 

 tion, and the AustraUan Government met this by a similar donation. Other contribu- 

 tions amount to £2,750, including Great Barrier Reef Committee £1,000, Royal 

 Society £450, Australian Association for the Advancement of Science £200, Zoological 

 Society £100, Dr. Bidder £500, Mr. E. T. Browne £100, Lord Glendyne £100, and 

 Mr. Heron Allen £100, together with the grant from the Association. Cambridge 

 University undertook all expenses connected with Dr. Yonge, Balfour Student and 

 leader of the Expedition, the British Museum of Natural History most of those con- 

 nected with Mr. Tandy, and the Royal Geographical Society those concerned with 

 the work of Mr. Steers and Mr. Spender in the neighbouring coastal regions. The 

 Council for Scientific and Industrial Research of Australia has been co-operating, 

 and with the Great Barrier Reef Committee of AustraHa is providing for the necessary 

 expenses of five Australian workers to join the Expedition. The cost of boats and 

 of camp and stores, in spite of every possible help from AustraHa, has proved excep- 

 tionally heavy, and the Committee is under the necessity of raising £2,000 more to 

 meet these. 



The Expedition left England on May 26 and on July 11 joined up at Brisbane. 

 The personnel of the Expedition is as follows : — 



(a) Dr. C. M. Yonge (Edin.), Balfour Student of the University of Cambridge, 

 director : research on the feeding and limestone formation of corals and molluscs, 

 and economically on the growth and feeding of molluscs, especially pearl shell. 



Mr. F. S. Russell, M.A. (Cantab.), D.F.C., formerly in Fisheries of Egypt, now 

 Naturahst to the Marine Biological Association at Plymouth : in charge of all boat 

 work, and in particular the movements of floating organisms, both day and night, 

 in relation to currents ; six months only on Low Islands. 



Dr. Orr and Dr. Marshall, Naturalists at Millport Marine Laboratory : research 

 on varying constituents of the water such as dissolve salts, nitrates, phosphates, the 

 pE-, &c., in relation to diatoms and other marine plants and animals forming the 

 basal food of fish and bottom living organisms. 



Dr. Stephenson, Lecturer in Zoology in the t^niversity of London : in charge of 

 all collections of animals and of faunistic work ; special research on the growth and 

 reproduction of corals and bottom living organisms ; economically sponges, &c. 



Mr. Tandy, Botanist on the staff of the Natural History Museum : in charge of 

 the collections of all marine plants ; six months only. 



(Dr. Stephenson and Mr. Tandy propose to make together an cecological study of 

 the bottom living animals and plants.) 



Mr. G. W. Otter (Cantab.), volunteer ; to assist the director in all matters ; subse- 

 quently returning via Tahiti for comparative purposes. 



Mr. Colman (Oxford), volunteer : to help Mr. F. S. Russell. 



(6) Mr. Steers (Cantab.), University Lecturer in Geomorphology, and Mr. Spender 

 (Oxford) attached to the Expedition as Geographers. 



(c) Australia is adding five members to the Expedition to assist in all sections of 

 the work. 



The detailed study of the geology of the land and coast is the responsibility of 

 Prof. Richards who has able assistants in Messrs. Brj'an, Jardiae, Stanley and others. 



