ON MIGHTY SCALE

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 64, 17 March 1933, Page 4

ON MIGHTY SCALE

ANTARCTIC REG-lONS

THE MAWSON EXPEDITION

AUSTRALIA'S NEW LAND

"What first strikes the eye in the Antarctic is the immense distances. Everything is on a mighty scale," remarked Mr. R. A. Valla, of the Auckland Museum, who went to the South Polar regions with the noted explorer Sir Douglas Mawson in the capacity of ornithologist. Control of part of the territory on which Sir Douglas hoisted the Australian Ensign has been vested in the Commonwealth Government. Accustomed as the eye of the average man was to ordinary distances, broken by the ordinary aspects of a landscapo, the sight' of great distances of nothing but snow, was, to say .the least of it,' unusual, Mr. Falla stated, reports the "Auckland Star.'' Theii again, the coastline for mile after mile was rugged to a point beyond grandeur. Ice cliffs, themselves 200 ft to 300 ft in. .height, would be dwarfed by huge monoliths of stone which reared themselves, dead black against snow white, some 2000 ft in the air. . . . . , ■ UNKNOWN HINTERLAND. It was in 1840, the saino year as the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, that Ross discovered the sea which bears his -name^ said- Mr. Ealla, and New Zealand-had been interested in that portion of the continent. After that date the major expeditions of Scott, Amund-' sen, and Byrd ha,d made the Boss Sea their' base. Even then, however, there had remained a large hinterland of the Antarctic continent which was unknown. The exploration of one part of that hinterland, that section lying to the south of Australia, had been the main concern of recent expeditions, in particular those of Sir Douglas Mawson, who began his work before the war. '• In 1029, said Mr.'Falla, Mawson was asked to lead a well-equipped expedition for further work ;n that area; and after two seasons in. the far South in Scott's old ship, the Discovery, the expedition- returned to Australia with important new information, and a large amount of valuable scientific work done. "Recent cables have stated that,: after Mawson had interviewed his Majesty m London and discussed the results of the expedition : with . the • Dominions Secretary, Mr. J. H. Thomas, the- British Government has approved the Commonwealth exercising jurisdiction over the new area, which extends from Enderby Land in 45 degrees east longitude to ■King George V land in 160 degrees longitude. .This.is a vast stretch of coastline, and behind it the continent reaches back some hundreds of miles to.the South Pole. . ,: WORK OF PHOTOGRAPHERS. The area includes many features of striking interest from the scehie point of view, from scientific investigation and economic possibilities. Moreover the expedition was fortunate enough to have its official photographer Captain Frank • Hurley, who has accompanied many expeditions to'-the Antarctic, including that of Shackleton. The photographic records secured are of exceptional value in giving an accurate'idea, of the territory and of the conditions of life there.- ; The pictures have exploited to the full the majesty of polar scenery, w^.th its eternal ice and rugged, rock-bound coast. They depict extremes of polar weather, with its blizzards-arid'subsequent calms that transform it. to a seeniing fairyland; they have put - on. record for. all time the teeming life.in the Polar seas, the comedy of the penguins, the lives and the habits of seals and the great whales -.. A. striking .':f^atttreji ojf> -life- in the Antarctic is thaf innumerable penguins1 and vast numbers of seals and whales can exist in that region, where the land is barren and'the seas icebound for the greater part of the year. The explanation is found in the abundance of marine organisms of minute size, which are present in'the summer season in such quantities as to render the surface of the water literally teeming with.them, just like soup. In turn the explanation of the presence of these organisms lies in the fact of continued daylight, under the influence of which microscopic plants multiply rapidly; providing food for the myriads of shrimp-like creatures, which in turn are fed on- by fish, birds, seals, and even the. great whales. Mr. Falla said that an investigation of- the habits of whales formed part of the programme of the expedition, and the results were to be used in conjunction with the investigations of the Discovery Committee, -which was permanently engaged .in that work. "It is realised," said Mr. Falla, "that a sound knowledge of the biology of whales is necessary for the drafting of regulations to prevent their extermination\and to safeguard the industry in the future." ' ■ .•'.-. BIRDS USE AIR .CURRENTS.. As an ornithologist, Mr. Falla'was' interested primarily in the bird life, 'with which the region abounded. ,He had studied' the petrels, with," their: remarkable powers of sustained flight. They flew very largely over the . ■ sea, and when they appeared to be gliding, into the face of the wind it was likely that they were using the counter-cur-rents and the "up-draughts" of air from tho disturbed surface of the water or the irregularity of the ice. He explained that when a bird flew •close to the surface of the water, it was more likely to receive the benefit of the wind "refracted" upward, and serving as a continuous upthrust to them. "From what I have said, it might seem that the expedition was without untoward incident. But there was more in it than merely going down there with modern equipment, aeroplanes, stores, and so on. There was more than enough, to provide many a story of narrow escapes, of humour, and of hazardous undertakings."