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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
