SCIENCE- GOSSIP. 



34* 



cent. The aspect of travel in the Antarctic is 

 quite different from the Arctic. In the former the 

 land attains mountainous altitudes estimated ;u 

 L 2,000 feet, whilst the broad valleys are occupied 

 by immense and difficult glaciers. Onlike the 

 Arctic, there are nol any of the usual mammal 

 land-fauna, such' as hears, foxes, musk-oxen, and 

 reindeer; therefore land-travel depends wholly 

 upon the food taken with the party. This cause, 

 suggests the author, will confine Antarctic, explo- 

 rat ion to centres near the coast and local expedi- 

 tions therefrom, rather than 1 01 1 L!" journeys, as with 

 sledges near the North 1'olc. The southern ice 

 cap is so much larger and apparently wilder than 

 the northern, that we may readily understand 

 different forms of exploration will be necessary. 

 This book does not attempt a description of the 



Insect life is evidently very sparse, a few to 

 found by Dr. Klovstad among mossi -. There is 

 uo description, but they were probably apterous. 



The marine algae" and the ocean f; a prove bi- 



polarity in many cases, though the fauna is not so 

 on land. That land animals were not discovered 

 doe- not, a- the commander points out, prove the 

 non-existence of land animals of any kind. At any 

 rate, around both polai caps certain Lichens like the 

 reindeer moss flourish in abundance. From the 

 geological point of view, this first year of 

 human residence should add greatly to know- 

 ledge. The author had once previously touched 

 at Cape Adare in 1895, hence his choice of that 

 point for the winter cam]!. Whether good or not, 

 we must ask the reader to form independent judg- 

 ment but considering the previous small know- 



A Crystal Palace. 

 {From liorchgrevink's "First on the Antarctic Continent.") 



scientific side of the expedition excepting in ap- 

 pendices ; still its pages teem with nature-notes. 

 Many of them are entertaining, as. for instance. 

 the account of the arrival, love-making, nesting-, 

 habits of the young, and other features connected 

 with the countless hordes of penguins that breed 

 along shingle banks. It would be worth a winter's 

 discomfort to see the fun so well described by the 

 author. The land flora is limited to mosses and 

 lichens, reindeer lichen being the largest plant. 

 The marine life is evidently abundant in specimens 

 and numerous in species. In summer there are 

 immense jelly-fish weighing up to 100 lbs. Of 

 crustacea and starfish there are abundance ; several 

 species of marine fish occur at all the seasons, with 

 seals; whales and many sea birds come in summer. 



ledge of South Victoria Land, the commander had 

 but little data for choice of base. M. Borchgrevink 

 has written an interesting account of the voyage: 

 his style is good, and at times rises above the ordi- 

 nary level of travel books. His pathetic yet manly 

 description of Hanson's death — the only man he 

 lost from the expedition — appeals to those who 

 can appreciate his position. Another event, in 

 which he nearly lost his own life, is modestly but 

 effectively told : there he describes the birth of 

 an iceberg and consequent great wave. The illus- 

 trations in the book are admirable and abundant. 

 One of these we reproduce by permission of the 

 publishers, showing a monarch among icebergs. 

 We strongly recommend this latest addition to the 

 works on Arctic travel. 



