BRITISH MUSEUM (NATURAL HISTORY). 109 



be regretted that circumstances prevented this most useful 

 measure from becoming law. 



In this connection the Trustees would desire to place on 

 record their appreciation of the valuable work that is being- 

 done by the Colonial Office, in conjunction with the Governors 

 and other officials of the Crown Colonies and Protectorates, in 

 devising measures (Acts, Ordinances, &c.) for the protection of 

 birds and other animals in these parts of the Empire, with a 

 view to safeguarding them from the danger of extinction. 

 The assistance of the experts of the Natural History Museum 

 has been freely placed at the disposal of the Colonial Office in 

 furtherance of the end in view. 



Anglo-Swedish Antarctic Scientific Station. 



Owing to the war, the scheme for the projected establish- 

 ment of an Anglo-Swedish Antarctic Scientific Station has had 

 to be suspended. The Swedish Committee have been informed 

 that there is no probability of the preparations in this country 

 for carrying out the project being resumed during the war. 



Arrangements have, however, been made with Dr. Johan 

 Hjort, Principal Fishery Officer of the Norwegian Government, 

 in the hope that through him as intermediary information may be 

 obtained from the Norwegian Whaling Companies operating in 

 the far South, with a view to instituting investigations based 

 on the material so gathered. 



Investigation of Antarctic Whales. 



The whaling notes made by the late Major G. E. H. Barrett- 

 Hamilton, to whose mission for the study oi whales in the 

 Antarctic, and to whose untimely death in South Georgia, a 

 reference was made in last year's report, have been received, 

 and they are being examined by Mr. M. A. C. Hinton, with a 

 view to furnishing a report to the Colonial Office, 



As one result of Major Barrett-Hamilton's mission, the 

 Museum has received a large and valuable consignment of 

 whale material, consisting of complete sets of baleen of Hump- 

 back Whale, Blue Whale, and Common Korqual, a pair of 

 flippers of each of these three species, a scapula and a vertebra 

 of a Blue Whale, and several foetal specimens. The whole of 

 these specimens were presented to the Museum by Messrs. Chr. 

 Salvesen & Co., of Leith, who not only rendered Major 

 Barrett-Hamilton great assistance in obtaining them, but also 

 conveyed them free of cost from South Georgia to Rotterdam. 



Stranded Whales. 



The systematic inquiry into the stranding of Cetacea on the 

 British coasts was continued during 1914. The number of 

 records received up to the end of July amounted to 43. The 

 outbreak of war at the beginning of August, however, gave 

 other occupation to Coastguard officers, and the period from 

 August to the middle of October, which provided far the 



