WHALE IN THE SOUTH

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 57, 8 March 1928, Page 11

WHALE IN THE SOUTH

THE DISCOVERY'S WORK LECTUEE BY SCIENTIST (From "The Posts* Representative.) LONDON, 10th January. At a EOyal Geographical Society Christmas locture, Dr. E. H. Marshall gave some interesting details of the most recent voyage of the Koyal research ship Discovery. Dr. Marshall is the medical officer of the ship. As his audience was mainly composed of young people, tho leflturer did not deal Very fully with the scientific side of the Work in the Whaling'grounds of the Antarctic. . He said that as Whaling had ceased to pay in the North, owing to the practical extermination of whales in those Wfltefß) it irfts . now almost entirely transferred to the Southern seas. Even there it was feared that the whale was gradually disappearing, tho number of those caught having fallen from 3000 a year to about 300 or 400. Henco tho scientific expedition of the Discovery— Gaptttin Scott's old ship, which h&d boon reconditioned for the voyage. The chief fod of the whale was a shellfish of the Mhrinlp order, Übout two inches long, the lecturer said, and ho thought it -''ail- extraordinary thing that au animal of such ettormous bulk should live on such tiny prey. The Voyage out to South Georgia in> eluded a visit to tho lonely island of Tristan da, Ounha, ''I 'was asked. to eXamino the .tfiqth of tho inhabitants," said Dr. Marshall, "and 1 found that they Wero definitely better than those j lof any other nationality, far as 1 know,' in the woVld. This is probably duo to tho short&go oi luxuries, such as tea, sugar, and jam/ -The people havo no corn ■ and no flour. They have a certain number.of |-sheep, and a few. oxen. Their diet I consists mainly of potatoes itnd mollyI hawks' eggs, and there is invariably a shortage of sugar and jam. j INOBNIOUS INSTRUMENT* Dr. Marshall Bhowed some excellent views oi the Antarctic and Of life On board thfe Discovoryi A journey was mado down to the Antarctic Continent for the purpose of making scientific investigations at various points. Samples of water,at various depths and tenvperatiires wero.takehi l^ish and other forms of marine life Wero nettfe'd 'At great depths, and minuto forms of life at tho surface Were constantly obtained by an ingenious contrivance. A float not unlike a paravane was towed astern for twenty-four hours. The water rushied through this, and small Organisms Were caught on a ft'iib silk mesh not. A small propeller actuated tho silk in the s^alnc way as tho fiiril in a kodak camera, and all the organisms thus captured Were WOUhd Up into tho reel of silk mesh. At the end of the day the pai'aVahd Was hauled in, thfe silk reels taken out, aa'd aiiother substituted. Among the places illustrated Was Deception. Island, which is really the top of an extinct volcano, A narrow pad- | sago allewa the ships into tho harbour, Which takes Up the Whole of tho interior of^ the. island,' and* was originally tho Ci-at<H' v The hdrbour is the headquarters of one of tho factory . 'whaling ships. A peculiarity of the place is that along tho coast lino of the harbour tho water is hot. The Idcttiref assured liifc audience that Whales' flesh Wfis as good to eat a 8 the ordinary beef one gets in England. Seals' flesh is good, but has a venisoh taste, Bea leopardi! arc also good etttlng, especially the liver.