Preface. 



D, 



'uriiig the preparation of the follovvinf^ work f havf constantly 

 lieen reminder! of the man to whom ttie present and ottier rich ji^eological 

 collections of the Second Fram Expedition ■ are dne, the gifted and 

 assiduous geologist of ttie expedition, Per Schei. 



ft seems hut yer:>tei'dii\' since that interesting period after the home- 

 corning of the expedition, — the autumn of 1902 — vvhen SciiEr unpacked 

 his rich collections, and we hegan togethei' the [ireliminary examination 

 of the specimens. 



flow his eyes used to gleam when anything of special heauty and 

 interest came to light! How enthusiastic we were over the wonderful 

 Silurian and Devonian collections from Goose Fioi'd, and the lovely 

 fossils from the carhoniferous limestone at Great Bear Cape I 



Many of the specimens awakened m him memories of ever memo- 

 rahle days spent in the far north, of journeys and adveidures. One 

 story would succeed another, and entranced hy his merry humour, oi- 

 agam at times by a more serious note, work was often forgotten. 



During Ihe following winter the preparation of the wliole material 

 was planned. Schei himself undertook the petrographic and general 

 geological work, whilst the fossils were assigned to various specialists. 

 He threw himself with the greatest energy into the work that he had 

 looked forward to during the whole of that long, arduous expedition in 

 northern latitudes. The views and hypotheses that he had formed in 

 those desolate I'egions would now at last he tested and examined. 



Everything seemed to be bright and hopeful, and we his colleagues 

 and friends eagerly awaited the work that was about to come from 

 Schei, convinced as we were that he would prove himself to he jiot 

 only a fearless and energetic explorer, but also an eminently gifted and 

 original man of science. 



