August 30, 1907] 



SCIENCE 



283 



SCIENTIFIC BOOKS 



THE ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION OF THE " DISCOVERY," 



UNDER CAPT. SCOTT, R.N., 1901-1904: 



The National Antarctic Expedition, 1901-Jf- 

 Natural History, Vol. II., Zoology (Verte- 

 brata; Mollusca; Crustacea). London, The 

 British. Museum, 1907. 4°, 348 pp., 44 pi. 

 Map and many illustrations in the text. 

 Vol. III., Zoology and Botany (Inverte- 

 brata; Marine Algae; Musci). 275 pp., 62 

 pi. 1907. 



The British Museum having undertaken to 

 publish and supervise the reports of the Ant- 

 arctic Expedition under Capt. Scott, the two 

 handsome and profusely illustrated volumes 

 now under consideration comprise the first 

 fruits of this arrangement. The Vertebrata 

 are reported on by E. A. Wilson, W. P. 

 Pycraft and G. A. Boulenger. Dr. W. G. 

 Eidewood contributes an extensive memoir on 

 Cephalodiscus, of which two new species were 

 obtained. The Mollusca and Brachiopoda are 

 treated by E. A. Smith, W. E. Hoyle and 

 Sir Charles Eliot. W. T. Caiman, A. O. 

 Walker, G. S. Brady, Dr. Thiele and Pro- 

 fessor Gruvel report on the Crustacea; L. V. 

 Hodgson on the Pycnogonids; Dr. Trouessart 

 on the Acari ; Dr. Fowler on the Chsetognatha ; 

 Dr. von Linstow on the Nematodes; and Mr. 

 A. E. Shipley on the Cestodes. The Coelen- 

 terates are treated by Messrs. Hickson, 

 Gravely and Eennie; the sponges by E. Kirk- 

 patrick. Mr. and Mrs. Gepp undertake the 

 Marine Algse except a new species of Litho- 

 thamnion which is described by M. Foslie; 

 while the scanty flora of mosses is the sub- 

 ject of a discussion by J. Cardot. 



Each memoir is separately paginated and 

 there is no general index. 



It is obvious that, within the space avail- 

 able, only a brief survey can be given of such 

 an aggregation of short reports. Professoi; 

 Herdman introduces volume III., by a ten- 

 page report on methods of collecting in Ant- 

 arctic seas, which is well worthy of atten- 

 tion from those whose fortune it may be to 

 prepare for such work under analogous condi- 

 tions. The peculiar difficulties, due to the 

 extremely low temperatures encountered, are 



such as would often not be anticipated by 

 collectors without experience in Polar seas, 

 and offer an interesting field for experiment. 

 It may be mentioned that the reviewer's ex- 

 perience in opening and keeping open holes 

 in the ice at temperatures below minus 30° 

 Fahr., leads to the belief that a soft iron or 

 copper chisel of triangular section, hafted 

 with a heavy pole of wood, is the most 

 efficient. The extreme temperature seems to 

 harden the soft metal sufficiently, without 

 rendering it brittle as in the case of steel 

 tools. 



The reports on the marine mammals and 

 birds are the most voluminous and contain 

 perhaps the largest amount of material of gen- 

 eral interest. The absence of the southern 

 right whale from the icy seas is confirmed, 

 but Mr. Wilson believes that Boss's report of 

 its presence sixty years ago may, neverthe- 

 less, have been correct. The process of exter- 

 mination of this species has been nearly suc- 

 cessful, owing to the habit of whalers destroy- 

 ing the nursing young in order to secure the 

 mother. The most common species are the 

 finback, and a small Australian Balcena, but 

 killers are plentiful and gregarious. A sup- 

 posedly undescribed species of whale, with an 

 extraordinarily long back fin, is illustrated and 

 described, but not named, as is another prob- 

 ably new species of dolphin, resembling 

 Lagenorhynchus. 



The seals observed were the usual four Ant- 

 arctic species, to which were added most un- 

 expectedly a young male sea elephant, killed 

 at McMurdo sound far from its usual haunts. 

 Data are included on Hooker's sea lion which 

 was studied at Laurie Harbor, Auckland 

 Island en route to the Antarctic. All these 

 animals are admirably illustrated by colored 

 plates and sketches, as well as half-tone figures 

 from photographs of the living animal. 



Among Antarctic birds the penguins stand 

 naturally preeminent, and the most remark- 

 able of these is the great Emperor penguin, 

 which attains a weight of ninety pounds. An 

 extremely interesting account of the breeding 

 habits of this species, hitherto hardly known, 

 shows that it lays its single egg in the depth of 



