356 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXVII. No. 687 



fly, and the stable fly. There is a long bibli- 

 ogi-aphy. Nathan Banks 



SCIENCE IN NEW ZEALAND 

 The Canterbury Philosophical Institute, 

 New Zealand, has made arrangements for con- 

 ducting an important expedition to some of 

 the islands in the Southern Ocean. About 

 twenty New Zealand scientists will be taken 

 to the Auckland Islands and the Campbell 

 Islands in one of the government's steamers, 

 and they will remain on the islands for about 

 a week, inquiring into many branches of sci- 

 entific work. The primary object of the ex- 

 pedition is to enable observations to be made 

 by Dr. C. Coleridge Farr and other investi- 

 gators in regard to terrestrial magnetism. 

 The time is very opportune for this, because 

 active work in the same field is being under- 

 taken in other parts of the Pacific Ocean. 

 The council of the Canterbury Institute, how- 

 ever, suggested that the sphere of operations 

 should be largely extended. The government 

 of the dominion has fallen in with the sug- 

 gestion, and a fairly large party will be taken 

 to the islands. 



The Auckland Islands lie about 200 miles 

 south of New Zealand, and the Campbell 

 Islands about 300 miles southwest of the do- 

 minion. They are visited periodically by the 

 government's steamers, which have provisions 

 on them for shipwrecked mariners. The Camp- 

 bell Islands are used as a sheep run, but the 

 Auckland Islands are quite uninhabited. Sci- 

 entists have reported upon both groups on 

 previous occasions, but the coming expedition 

 will make very comprehensive investigations. 

 The principal interest of the expedition centers 

 in the fact that there will be concerted action 

 to obtain further evidence in regard to the 

 old antarctic continent, which, it is supposed, 

 joined New Zealand to South America on 

 the one hand and to Australia, Kerguelen 

 Land, Mauritius, Madagascar, Africa, and 

 the island of Tristan D'Acunha on the other 

 hand. If this ancient continent had an exist- 

 ence, the Auckland and Campbell Islands are 

 probably waifs and strays that it has left be- 

 hind. This theory has found general accept- 

 ance in New Zealand. A mass of evidence 



has been collected by zoologists and botanists, 

 and it seems to leave little doubt that the 

 antarctic continent once enjoyed a mild 

 climate, that it carried large and extensive 

 forests and other vegetation of a rich, luxu- 

 riant, and almost tropical character, and that 

 it was inhabited by a large population of ani- 

 mals, some of which are still represented in 

 New Zealand, Australia and South America. 

 The latest evidence in this direction is the 

 discovery of fossil leaves by a member of the 

 " Discovery " Antarctic Expedition in South 

 Victoria Land. These fossil leaves cor- 

 roborate evidence that was obtained previously. 

 It is hoped that more evidence will be added 

 by the New Zealand scientists. They expect 

 to leave in the middle of November of this 

 year, and to return in the following month. 

 They will be divided into two parties, one 

 party going to each group. The Hon. E. 

 McNab, minister for lands, has been asked to 

 take the lead, but if Parliament is in session 

 he will not be able to take part in the expedi- 

 tion. The following scientists will join the 

 party : 



Auckland Islands : Magnetic observers. Dr. 

 C. Coleridge Farr and Mr. H. D. Cook 

 (Christchurch) ; zoologists. Dr. C. Chilton 

 (Christchurch) and Dr. W. B. Benham 

 (Dunedin), general zoology; Mr. G. V. Hud- 

 son (Wellington), insects; Mr. J. Drummond 

 (Christchurch), ornithology; Mr. G. E. 

 Marriner (Christchurch), general zoology. 

 Botanists, Dr. L. Cockayne (Christchurch), 

 ecological botany; Mr. A. H. Cockayne (Wel- 

 lington), plant pathology, and Mr. B. 0. 

 Aston (Wellington). Geologists, Messrs. E. 

 Speight (Christchurch) and Clark (Auck- 

 land). Photographer, Mr. S. Page (Christ- 

 church). 



Campbell Islands : Magnetic observers, Mr. 

 H. P. Skey and Mr. E. Kidson (Christchurch). 

 Zoologists, Professor Kirk (Wellington) and 

 Mr. J. B. Mayne (Christchurch), Dr. Hilgen- 

 dorf (Christchurch), general zoology, and Mr. 

 E. B. Waite (Christchurch), ichthyology. 

 Botanists, Mr. M. M. Dairy (Christchurch) 

 and Mr. D. Petrie (Auckland). Geologists, 

 Dr. Marshall (Dunedin), Professor Jarman 



