August 4, 1911] 



SCIENCE 



157 



the Belgica locality which is Passo del Cabeza 

 del Mar, near Pecket Harbor, Strait of Ma- 

 gellan. 



The members of the Belgica expedition are 

 to be congratulated on the quantity as well as 

 the quality of the results of their arduous 

 labors in the field. 



Wm. H. Dall 



The Subantarctic Islands of New Zealand. 

 Eeports on the geophysics, geology, zoology 

 and botany of the islands lying to the south 

 of New Zealand. Philosophical Inst, of 

 Canterbury, Wellington, N. Z. Govern- 

 ment printer. 1909. 848 pp., 4to, plates, 

 text-figures and maps. 



New Zealand is situated upon a submarine 

 bank, roughly twenty degrees of longitude 

 wide and twenty-five degrees of latitude long 

 in a north-and-south direction within the 

 1,500-fathom curve. The islands of which this 

 report treats, with the exception of the Mac- 

 quarie group, are included within the 1,000- 

 fathom curve together with the north and 

 south islands of New Zealand proper. The 

 most important groups are those of the Chat- 

 ham, Bounty, Antipodes, Campbell and Auck- 

 land Islands. Only Macquarie and Campbell 

 are within the northern limit of drifting ice, 

 but the curve-enclosing sea bottom less than 

 2,000 fathoms in depth indicates a connection 

 between the neozelandic bank, the Antarctic 

 lands and Australia by way of Tasmania. 



The climate of these islands is cold, wet 

 and tempestuous, their coasts in large part 

 inhospitable, with projecting reefs and dan- 

 gers; and the record of shipwrecks and loss of 

 life, or extreme privation of survivors, is most 

 melancholy. Into these perilous waters the 

 search for the fur seal and sea elephant drew 

 many adventurers, a goodly number of whom 

 hailed from the United States; and, while 

 occasional fortunes were made, many ships 

 and men suffered disaster. 



The government of New Zealand has estab- 

 lished depots of provisions and other neces- 

 saries on the principal islands, for the relief 

 of shipwrecked mariners, and once a year the 

 government vessel makes the round of the 



islands to supply or repair these depots and 

 rescue any persons who may have reached 

 these desolate shores. On the petition of the 

 scientific societies of New Zealand, the au- 

 thorities agreed to transport an exploring 

 party to Auckland and Campbell Islands and 

 to pick them up on the return trip in 1907. 



The collections and observations thus made 

 form the basis of two handsome volumes, con- 

 secutively paged, profusely illustrated, and 

 edited by Professor Charles Chilton, of the 

 University of New Zealand.' The government 

 of New Zealand contributed a substantial sum 

 toward the expenses of publication. 



The fauna and flora of these isolated 

 islands, seldom visited by man and into which 

 only a few pests like rats and mice from 

 whaling ships or sealers can have been unin- 

 tentionally introduced, have a very special 

 interest, not only on account of the modifica- 

 tion the plants and animals have undergone, 

 but for the light they may throw on the for- 

 mer distribution of Antarctic lands. 



It is impossible within the space assigned 

 to us, to discuss the several papers by special- 

 ists which are brought together in these vol- 

 umes, but a brief list of the subjects treated 

 will indicate their contents. 



Following an account of the expedition and 

 an historical survey of the islands we have 

 articles on magnetics; on the radium content 

 of certain igneous rocks; on the meteorology 

 and geology of Campbell Island; on the physi- 

 ography, geology, soil and soil formers of the 

 various islands; on the vertebrates, mollusca 

 and general entomology; special articles on 

 macrolepidoptera, lepidoptera, hymenoptera, 

 coleoptera, diptera, collembola, spiders, Crus- 

 tacea, polychseta, oligochseta, echinoderms, 

 holothurians, planarians, nemerteans, leeches, 

 myriapods, medusa, actinians, sponges and 

 foraminifera. In botany articles are pro- 

 vided on systematic and ecologic botany, plant 

 formations and associations, grasses, algse and 

 crj-ptogams. A summary of the biological 

 relations of the islands, by the editor, a bibli- 



' The volumes may be had of Dulau & Co., 87 

 Soho Square, London, the agents of the Philosoph- 

 ical Institute of Canterbury, New Zealand. 



