RETURN OF SCIENTISTS

New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 6381, 2 December 1907, Page 6

RETURN OF SCIENTISTS

THE HI.NKMOA EXPEDITION. GOOD WORK ACCOMPLISHED. WNTIIUSIASTTC INVESTIGATORS. (Prom Oar Oivn Correspondent.) BUNT'. November 30. TJio first phase* of the Now Zealand snbAntarc.fic ©xpeditioii concluded by the arrival al. flu 1 Bluff Ibis evening of flic hwenf vd wo scjenltete an<l their in-si,slants »J 1 in the best of health. ami as full of (Mif.ltiisiasEn as whan they sot forth on their task. The hitoihl phase will be Die publication of tin- results, which aro undoubtedly of th© highest scientific Tabic. ('()MMK NGING WORK. Leaving the. Bluff on November Ifllh. if.fve parly went to Point Degnsuc, in fUcwarl Island, where the ntemlK-re of the expedition enjoyed a "preliminary ranter,” the. geologists climbing to Urn tjltiuinil of Mount ileniiirkuble. Dr Parr aid Mr Skey taking a magnetic observation. and Hit' botanictu making the acquaintance of the lowland bogs and rata forest. Next day they wore at work in rarncßf: on tho main island of the Snares, of which very little was previously known scientifically. Tlio weather was moderately fine, and all made the most M th© nine hours allotted them by Captain Rollons. Hero a first acquaintance ■.vits made with Hit' sea lions, whose aspect ami greeting did not encourage familiarity. The penguin rookeries were a source ■yi admiration and amn/.ement. Excellent pholographn were taken of tho strange fiird.s. Many spocirmms wore seemed of the lower animal and plant life, so that Iho chip Ix'gaii U j assume tho character if a travelling iniisenrn. ARRIVAL AT PORT ROSS. On November Ifith the Hincmoa was <rfoaming round Endnrby Island, the northerly of tho Auckland group, hi rather thick and rainy weather, and entering the fine harbour of Port Ross. The vision of the promised land had brought many of the party on deck, and they were startled by seeing-a flag fly* ing’ half-mast from the depot, at Port Ross. The morning was truly a BubAntarctic one. The high hills wore veiled in mist, ami a keen wind pierced the warmest clothing. Before one was aware that At boat had been lowered. Captain Ilollom? and n picked crew wore on tho way to the relief of tho shipwrecked men. and tho roar of British cheers had reached tho ship. Soon the boat returned, and we wore grasping tho hands and warmly welcoming tho heroic sailors of the Dundoiiald, whoso tale is told in another ■column. Charles Eyre, a seaman from iho ill-fated vessel, remained on board tho ilinornoa, in order to go with the < 'Campbell Island party as cook. « INVESTIGATORS LANDED. ;

A sail of an hour or two and Carnley harbour was reached, a piece of rata forest in the neighbourhood of Camp Covo being selected an tho camping ground for tho Auckland Island party of investigators. After landing tho stores and God-speed wished to tho Campbell Island, section, the fourteen scientists left ashore eet to work with a will under tho direction of Captain Dorriou Smith to put np live bell tents and tho largo marquee, and to make everything snug for tho night. A rough shed, built by tho castaways from tho French ship Anjou, served as a kitchen, where for ten days Mr North cooked a vast quantity of food for the party, whoso appetites became a* keen as tho subAntarctio blasts. Close at hand also were tho two huts provided for castaways, and those proved of great value as store-houses for food and material. Ihtudos tho scientists proper was Mr Field, from Wanganui, who made frequent excursions with tho botanists, and rendered them much valuable assistance. There had been brought a strong whaleboat, manned by a picked crew of Maoris, from the Bluff, with Jack Tauke as head jnan. Without such a craft work would have been impossible, but by it, 4 notwithstanding almost constant gales and frequent showers, no day was wasted. Tho especially active members of tho party wcx*e the geologists and botanists, aud various jjeaks of tho mainland and .Adams Island wore sealed, sometimes in storms of snow and usually of wind and rain. Such exeuxtdons required great endurance, since the country is most difficult to traverse owing to tho dense shrubby growths which occur above tho forest line, the boggy nature of tho ground, and to its great irregularity. So dense is tho shrub called Sutionia that progress can be made only by rolling right over it or occasionally crawling underneath. Both tho Auckland and Campbell Island camps wore presided over by a council of three, elected at an early stage of the expedition by members. The Auckland Island Council consisted of Profeasor Ben ham and Dra Farr and Cockayne, that of tho Campbell Island of Professor Kirk, Dr Manaba.ll, and Mr Jbaing. DISCOMFORTS. The Campbell Island scientists pitched their tents* near the snore of Perse-

vorance Harbour on the 17th, under th© lee of a belt of scrub, but unfortunately within two hours th© prevailing wind of the island took u rest and terrific squalls from tho opposite quarter turned camp and members Ritually inside out. For the whole of their stay no cheerful camp hr© could bo lighted, as trees are waiting. So the camp was forood to keep very early hours for tho aake of waomth. Nor was tho time a picnic by any means, unless that term be used sarcastically, since, in addition to an uncomfortable camp and difficult country to travel and constant storm, the water was bo bad that tho tea woe trt u carious mud colour and quite undrinkable. Cocoa was used instead, And this chiefly because it gave a more wholesome colour to tho concoction. As for tho -travelling in Campbell Island, j Vrofcwsorr Kirk remarked that had no a “fiver" for every time no fell into a hole on one memorable day ho would at oflaco retire. Tho Campbell Island iHoiimtists used no flying camps, as the ■dhrbancee >vero never too great to get back on tho evening of tho long days, Inrt tho Auckland felaml party wa© usually split up. On one occasion a party of botanists aaid geologists were /mining short of food and were planning jtn attack on the sea lions just as a relief boat full of well fed zoologists and physicists arrived. THE RESULTS. On the whole the scientific -results of tho expedition are eminently satisfactory. Large addition has boon made to tho knowledge of tho fauna and flora of ;.ho sub-Antarctic islands. Tho geology is certainly put on a new basis. A magnetic survey of a thorough character has been made both on tho Auckiands and the Campbells. Dr Parr, assisted by Mr Cook, successfully, in tho face of many difficulties* established satisfactory stations, and inter alia found out with accuracy for tho first time the position of tho islands. Mr fllcoy, on Campbell island, assisted by Mr Kideon and Mr Opie, established three stations. Ho was compelled to carry overland through terribly rough country his heavy instruments, a task requiring the assistance of nine strong mon. This magnetic werk 'cannot be described in popular language, but it is of the highest value to tho Dominion and to Australia. One of the difficulties wits to got tho sun, and several ©xcurftione had to bo made ior this special imrposo. THE GEOLOGY. Dr Marshall and Mr Sfioight, assisted

I by Mesons Brown and Finlayjon respcc- * tivoiv, gave the geology of their respective ‘ regi')];* a most searching examination, covered v.i.ie tracts of difficult country, and sparfd no exertion to attain their ui(b. The results must be most gratifying to these ardent geoiogisls. To sum up fheir ret-mlte: The.-o investjgators have proved the existence of great maone.-. of granite ’ike rocks in all the island© visited. In Campbell Island sedimentary rocks were met; with, followed by great outpourings of lava, but in the ,A tick la iids no .--ediinenta ry ro'ka were found, Ihe land being formed aoncM wholly by a remarkable succession of Java lions, poured out from more than one era cm. Perhaps the most important discovery was a number of moraines, showing a lime when much of the land - must have been covered by glacier.-. , This fact is of the highest importance from its distinct bearing on zoology and botany. ; BOTANY. The botanists, .Dr Cockayne, Mr Pen--1 nant. and Capt tin Dorrien Smith, on ‘ Auckland Island, and Mensr.s Luing and * Crosby Smith, on Campbell Maud, hunt- . eel for new plants, .studied the biology of the old ones, and noted carefully the features of the vegetation. As a whole, both parties put on record several npecice, new to the 'island*?, and perhaps to science, and a number of important hio- , logical facts wore established. Unfortunately tho Campbell Island plants wore not in projK'r bloom, but those oi the Auckland were much more advanceu. Oi great interest wore the additions made to the knowledge of colour variation amongst the saiii-Antarctic plaids, and the relation of plant form to the peculiar climatic conditions. Mr Aston rendered much assistance to Iho Auckland Island Ixdanlsts,, and in addition collected on mountain top. :u forest, and bog various samples of the soil in connection with his very important soil survey of Zealand. ; ENTOMOLOGY. The work of the entomologist, Air Hudson, was of (special value, since before bis visit only a dozen flics and beetlo* had been iccorded, and no moth* and butterflies. Mr Hudson's collection consists of 15 species and 283 specimens, including J 7 moths, 18 flics, 10 beetles, and some ichneumon and stone flies. Tho find includes some, remarkable novelties, and though most aro closely related to insects of tho mainland, they are in nearly every case specifically distinct. Profescsor Bonham dug assiduously for his pets, the earthworms, the most striking proof of ancient land connection with South America, and was rewarded by some ton species belonging to six genera. An important discovery was : noino true leeches from tho Snares. Dr Bonham also collected generally tho more obscure forms of animal life, hitherto neglected on these islands by collectors, mush as centipedes and planarians, and numerous marine animals were also secured. Air Waite confined his attention to his friends the fishes, securing all the species recorded hitherto, as well as two unrecorded pipe-fish, ono a new' species. His operations were carried on by means of a seine not, fishing from the rocks, 1 and netting the small fresh-water fish in i tho rivers. Hero galaxias were secured, another link in tho chain of evidence i for an ancient Antarctic continent. Professor Chilton searched the shores of Campbell Island for various members of the crab family, and secured a remarkable impedes of fresh-water shrimp; 1 also a number of wood-lice. These ani- : mats aro directly important from the point of view of geographical distribution, and the professor has shown tho : remarkable foot that one of these is iden- ■, tical with ,a wood-louse inhabitating Ker- , guelen Land, tho Falklinds, and the sub- 1 Antarctic region as a whole. On the * other hand, Professor Chilton, states that. : several of these usually unpopular ani- ; mals occur both on Campbell Island,: and tho Now Zealand mainland. Another interesting fact discovered was tho presence of a special plant louse upon j . the burr peculiar to tho sub-Antarctic! islands, . j. Professor Kirk set himself the heroic { task of looking for negative results, and ' proved that many of the lower animals | common in New Zealand are quite ab-1 sent from the sub-Antarctic island.!' Lizards appear to be wanting at Campbell Island, Professor Kirk also collect- i cd largely in all branches of zoology, and paid much attention to botany. j!