Seals

All expeditions into the "dry-valleys" have found the carcases of sub-fossil seals from the coast to areas far inland, and this expedition was no exception. Seals were discovered over the whole length of the Victoria Dry Valley system, up to 45 miles inland near the head of Balham Valley and within a few miles of the inland ice. Twenty six seals were found, most of them on the floors of the valleys, although one was on a saddle at 2100 feet. They usually occur on moraines, on outwash or river-laid gravels or basement rock, under conditions which preclude their deposition by retreating glaciers. The available evidence supports the views held by R.E. Barwick (V.U.W.A.E., 1958-59): that the seals have travelled into the area over a long period of time, that they travelled over present-day terrain, and that they have remained undisturbed since page 10 death, the condition of the carcases varies greatly from single disarticulated bones to well-preserved whole animals with skin and hair attached. Only 8 of the 26 seals found were sufficiently well preserved to allow identification of species: four were Crabeater and four were Weddell seals. Several carcases at different degrees of preservation were brought back for C. 14 dating.

Birds

A total of 38 carcases of skua gulls were found within a few hundred yards of Lake Vashka. Most of them were lodged in the cracks of the frost polygons where they had presumably been blown by wind. The reason for this surprising concentration of dead gulls, forty miles from the sea, in an area which can offer nothing in the way of food except by a long chance a wandering seal, is unknown.

Live skuas were found in the vicinities of Lakes Vashka and Vida. Five were noted this year and one during the ten-day visit to Lake Vida in 1958.

Their numbers must be far in excess of those actually reported; four out of the six birds were first noticed when, flying overhead, they cast their shadows on the people below.

Lichens and Mosses

Lichens and mosses are uncommon in the area and occur only in a narrow range of habitats. Their distribution was found to fall into a well-defined pattern. They are found on bed rock or on stable boulders, generally above 3300 feet. They are not found on unstable rocky slopes, scree fans or metamorphic rocks. Twenty-one specimens of lichens comprising four or five species, and three specimens of mosses of two species were found.

Fresh-Water studies

Collections of algae, and water samples for culturing of plankton were made from the range of available habitats. The ecological programme, covering a comparison between the deep, ice-covered lakes, the shallow lakes which are usually ice-free during the two summer months and the connecting streams, was curtailed by the cold temperatures experienced this summer. Little free water appeared around the edge of Lake Vashka, no water flowed in the streams, and only some of the shallow lakes thawed.

Some chemical analysis of the water of Lake Vashka was made in the field. The hydrogen-ion concentration was determined, water was "fixed" for later oxygen determination, and samples were subjected to ion-exchange resins to calculate the salt content. Bulk supplies of water were brought back for laboratory analysis.

No insects were found.