THE HEART OF THE ANTARCTIC 



growth of mosses and lichens was, comparatively speak- 

 ing, luxuriant. A httle dried-up pool, some two yards 

 across, close by the penguin rookery, was quite covered 

 by a film formed of bright green filamentous alg^e. 

 Ai'ound the edges of some of the smaller lakes, thick 

 wrinkled sheets of a plant of a dingy green or brown 

 colour were seen, resembling some of the large foHaceous 

 lichens in form. Wild brought in some of the same plant 

 which he had found embedded in the transparent ice of a 

 lake afterwards known as Clear Lake. In this situation 

 it was of a beautiful orange red colour. Later on, this 

 plant was found to be abundant in all the lakes, and in 

 many of them it formed continuous sheets over the entire 

 bed. Many of the gravelly valleys showed a faint green 

 tinge, showing where water had run in the summer-time. 



Microscopic Life 



It was while examining a bit of the orange-coloured 

 weed under the microscope, that the first fresh-water 

 animals were found. Two or three little red worm-hke 

 creatures were seen, creeping about like caterpillars, now 

 and again coming to a stop and putting out their heads to 

 feed, when they showed themselves to be rotifers, or wheel- 

 bearing animalcules. 



Having thus ascertained that there were microscopic 

 animals on this plant, a large quantity of it was gathered 

 and washed in water to remove the adhering organisms. 

 The sediment obtained was concentrated by straining, 

 and a drop put under the microscope. Myriads of living 

 things appeared, animals and plants. The plant-life 

 consisted of various spheres and threads of green and 

 blue-green algge, some of the latter resembling strings 

 of beads. 



236 



