viii PREFACE. 



justify the scant knowledge possessed concerning the 

 Antarctic regions unless all details were given. 



The enforced brevity of the descriptions is, however, 

 compensated for by the authentic illustrations. They 

 are taken exclusively from works of travel ; not a single 

 one has been subjected to imaginative touches, still less 

 to the invention of the delineator. My thanks are due 

 to Herr Rudolf Fitzner for his selection of the numerous 

 plates taken from the Atlas Pittoresque of Dumont 

 d'Urville's great work, and also for his vigilant super- 

 vision in the production of both plates and text. 



Besides the illustrations that have been taken from 

 older works, the reader will find new ones, some now pub- 

 lished for the first time. I owe Dr. Georg Neumayer, 

 Privy Councillor to the Admiralty, Director of the 

 German Marine Observatory, and a past master of 

 Antarctic exploration, my cordial thanks for the ample 

 assistance he has afforded from his store of scientific 

 knowledge. Equal courtesy has been shown me by 

 Dr. John Murray, D.Sc, LL.D., Ph.D., F.R.S., the 

 eminent member of the Challenger expedition, and one 

 of the editors of the magnificent series of volumes dealing 

 with its results. The present work is embellished by 

 numerous illustrations of icebergs from observations 

 made on board the Challenger, Dr. Murray having 

 kindly entrusted me with the water-colour drawings — 

 some not before published— for reproduction. 



The general map of the Antarctic regions is based 

 in all essentials on the excellent large map by Vincenz 

 V. Haardt, though some additions and corrections have 

 been made by the Author, who has thus set forth his 

 own conclusions, more particularly in connection with 

 the extent of the land ; his reasons are fully given in 

 the text. 



Karl Fricker. 



