tf ee Se ee PET ea a ee ety 
1876.) The Natural History of Kerguelen Island. 481 
THE NATURAL HISTORY OF KERGUELEN ISLAND. 
THE reports of Dr. J. H. Kidder, naturalist of the Transit-of- 
Venus Expedition, on the natural history of Desolation or Ker- 
guelen Island are of interest from two reasons ; first, the extreme 
paucity of life upon this barren rock; and second, the large 
number of naturalists who have been called upon to report upon 
the few specimens collected; as many as eight specialists in 
zodlogy and four in botany, as well as a mineralogist, contributing 
their aid, while the naturalists of the English Transit-of-Venus 
Expedition, particularly Rey. A. E. Eaton, assisted by several 
English and a German entomologist, have also published papers 
on the entomology of the island. 
It will be remembered that the United States ship Swatara, 
with Dr. J. H. Kidder as naturalist, sailed from New York on 
the 8th of June, 1874, and landed, September 10th, two astron- 
omers and Dr. Kidder, of the navy, with photographers and two 
of the crew. Some of the more interesting results we shall pre- 
sent to our readers, often using the language of the reporters. 
This island is situated southeast of Madagascar, in latitude 50°, 
longitude 65°, approximately. It is about niyety miles long 
by fifty in width, and is composed, as to its southern part at 
least, wholly of volcanic rock, showing no signs of stratification. 
The northern portion contains stratified rocks, deposits of coal of 
little value, and very ancient remains of silicified wood, indicat- 
Ing the former existence of trees of considerable size, and the 
submergence and subsequent upheaval of the land upon which 
they grew. The whalers say that a large glacier runs across the 
island, in a generally east and west direction, at about its centre. 
In the interior the land is mountainous, peaks with sharp vol- 
canic outlines alternating with table-topped hills. Mount Ross, 
the highes j peak (about five thousand feet), is always snow- 
Covered and quite inaccessible. Near the sea, in December, the 
‘now-line was found on Mount Crozier at about two thousand 
Six hundred feet above the sea-level. 
Kerguelen Island is a region of almost constant precipitation, 
only twenty-seven days out of four months being recorded as 
Without snow or rain, and a still smaller number of nights. 
le thermometer ranged not far from the freezing-point, the 
3 ily average being a little below it in September and October, 
and a little above it in November and December. Whalers say 
that in midwinter there is no marked increase in the severity of 
™ X — xo, 8. 31 
Vou, 
