British Antarctic Expedition (1907 - 1909 ). Biology PDF
Preview British Antarctic Expedition (1907 - 1909 ). Biology
~ fO< >T^ ;l i w i 3OF5^THE(U5NVIV^E/RSTI>TY OF CALIFORNIA LIBERT OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CH.FORNU UBRARY.OF THE UNIVERSITY OF C, OF THE UNIVERS.TY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CA <5\\~yfD <5v_/re> -* '}* OF THE UNIVERSITY OF (5\N i IY OF THF IINIKfn iTv nt = " LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIWN4A LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY 9 9 != m \ 3 ~a s ^^ io Qj^^Q QJS^\D SITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA f& :x-^ <T^\ /f5 '. O\V^_/T( r ^S' ,-. Iy- SITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY r& ID ^tv/ae BRITISH ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION 1907-9 UNDER THE COMMAND OF SIR E. H. SHACKLETON, C.V.O. REPORTS ON THE SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATIONS VOL. I BIOLOGY EDITOR JAMES MURRAY - - PARTS I TO IV ONT COLLECTING AT CAPE ROYDS BY JAMES MURRAY I. ON MICROSCOPIC LIFE AT CAPE ROYDS BY JAMES MURRAY II. ANTARCTIC ROTIFERA BY JAMES MURRAY III. IV. MUSCI BY JULES CARDOT (WITH THIRTEEN PLATES AND THREE FIGURES IN THE TEXT) LONDON PUBLISHED FOR THE EXPEDITION 15V WILLIAM HEINEMANX 21 HKnKOKD STUKKT. W.f. 1910 PRICK TWKI.VK SIHLUN'tiS AND SIXI'KN'CK NK I THESK PAJITK \nr. ALSO ISSI'F.D SF.I' Ons /U PART I ON COLLECTING AT- <CAPE ROYDS* BY JAMES MURRAY Ix making the biological collections, almost every member of our small party lent more or less assistance. Though busy with other occupations, all were ready to bring home to the biologist anything strange which they noticed. Armytage found a sea- urchinduring a walk on the sea-ice before we had made a landing, and while landinghe picked up the first scrapofsea-weed. Mr. Shackleton broughtinsome moss andlichen soon afterthe Nimrod departed. Wild got specimensof the lake vegetation. Adams found a starfish on the beach, and the othersin like manner helped when opportunity offered. All these indications that there was life in the district, coming as they did before the biological work was properly started, were encouraging for the future. When the dredging operations began there were many willing helpers. Mr. Shackleton, with David, Mawson, and Priestley, were always interested in the dredg- ing and ready to help, not only at hauling the dredge, but at the more disagreeable labour ofconveying the collections to the hut. It is no disparagement to others to acknowledge the share which Priestley took in the biological work. Without him the greater part of the collections would not have been made. When the biologist was debarred by some trifling but mastering indisposition from active participation in the dredging during the midwinterweeks, Priestleykept the dredging-holes open, no small labour with the temperature sometimes as low as from minus 30 to minus 40 Fahr. With the assistance of Mr. Shackleton, David, and others, he kept up the dredging and brought home the proceeds to be examined. Throughout the entire seasonpractically the wholeofthearduous labour ofdigging holes in the sea-ice and of sinking shafts inthe lakes fell upon Priestley, andhe didthe active hauling ofthe dredge as well. It does not lessen our indebtedness to him to tell that he enjoyed his self-imposed task, and his voice might be heard issuing in light-hearted song from some deep shaft in lake or sea. The Field of Operations. This was extremelylimited. The great majority ofthe collections were made within a radius of a few miles from our base camp at Cape * Cape Royds is the westernmost point of Ross Island, South Victoria Land, and is situated in about latitude 77 32' S., longitude 1G6 12' E. BRIT. ANTARCT. EXPED. 1907-9. VOL. I. PART 1, ISSUED APRIL 1910 A 13 M749992 2 JAMES MURRAY Koyds. Thosewho went on the long sledging journeys brought back specimens from more distant points. Mr. Shackleton brought lake vegetation and Joyce brought moss from HutPoint (the Discovery's winter quarters, twenty miles south of Cape Royds) ; Priestley brought rotifers, mosses, lichens, and some marine organisms from the neighbourhood ofthe Ferrar Glacier and the Stranded Moraines, when he visited the west with Armytage's party and Brocklehurst on the same journey obtained some ; lichens at an elevation ofabout 4000 feet at New Harbour Heights David brought ; moss and lichen from near Cape Irizar, the most distant point from ourcampat which any biological specimens were collected. So far as known, the species were the same in all the localities. The promontory of Cape Boyds, round which most of thecollecting was done, is a hilly tract oftriangular form, separated from the main mass of Mount Erebus by a valley in which there is a series of small lakes, and terminating at its southernmost point ina bluffrisingverticallyfrom the sea to a considerable height. This culminat- ing-point of the Cape was familiarly known as Flagstaff Point, from a pole which we erected there for the purpose ofsignalling to the ship. In the hollow between it and the hut was Pony Lake, and between the lake and the shore was the rookery of Adelie Penguins. The triangular area isjust about a mile in length and halfamile in greatest breadth. It includesmany little sharp rockypeaks, composed of kenyte, with ridges of the same rock diverging from the peaks. The valleys are filled with a gravelly debris resulting from the decomposition of the kenyte, and contain many little lakes or ponds. Con- siderable stretches ofmorainic material occur. The highest point ofland is no more than 300 feet above the sea. The greater part of the shore-line consists of low cliffs with a few small patches ofsandy beach. The most extensiveof these beaches, known as Black Sand Beach, is about a mile to the north of the hut. On the shore there is no vestige of marine life, animal or vegetable, such as is found in the littoral zone of other coasts. The beaches are formed of a coarse, hard, black sand, with boulders of kenyte and other rocks. The presence of an ice-foot throughout the greater part of the year, and the grinding of ice along the coast when there is open sea, must destroy any living things which attempt to establish them- selves. The zone thus kept devoid oflife is of no great depth. Standing on the edge of the ice-foot at Black Sandy Beach, when the Sound was open, various living things could be seen at a depth of from one to twofathoms. Starfish werecommonest in this situation, but a living Pecten Colbecki was got in equally shallow water at Back-door Bay. The larger lakes were given distinguishing names. Pony Lake, close beside the A hut, formed the exercising ground for the ponies during the long night. short A distanceto the northwas Green Lake, named from the colour of its ice. mile north of the hut and close to the shore was Coast Lake, remarkable for its level smooth ice, which would have servedforskatingand curling. Close by was Clear Lake, named
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