To solve the remaining great geographical problem of the earth. under the leadership of two members of Peary's last polar expedition A sportsman's notes on hunting the black rhino in British East Africa. With photographs of some of the heads of large game in the loan collection on the The wild boar group portrays a snowbound forest of north Germany; the Ori- zaba bird group, a tropical Mexican jungle, the paddlefish group, the waters of a THE TOUCAN AT HOME A DETAIL OF THE ORIZABA GROUP The great beaks of many tropical birds look strange to observers acquainted with birds of temperate climes only. All of the thirty-four birds in the Orizaba group are representatives of the tropical parts of the State of Vera Cruz, the studies for the group having been made at Cordova, altitude 3500 feet "Three New Groups," page 101 The American Museum Journal VOL. XII MARCH, 1912 IN SEARCH OF CROCKER LAND No. 3 A NEW VENTURE INTO ARCTIC REGIONS THE CROCKER LAND EXPEDITION WILL ENDEAVOR TO SOLVE THE WORLD'S LAST GREAT GEOGRAPHICAL S there a "Crocker Land" in the Arctic Ocean? Admiral Peary believes that he saw such a place through his field glasses in June, 1906, whether island, archipelago or lesser continental mass, he knows not. Also from recorded tidal observations, the existence of land at the given spot has been deduced by Dr. R. A. Harris, tidal expert of the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey. For several years this question of the Arctic Seas has been in the minds of explorers and geographers. Two men, George Borup and Donald B. MacMillan, both of Peary's successful polar party, have now volunteered to answer it, while the American Museum of Natural History and the American Geographical Society consider the question of such commanding importance that they have decided to give their support to these men in an expedition to reach and map the new Crocker Land if it exists. The expedition will also, while en route to the unknown land, make all the geological, geographical and other scientific studies that circumstances may permit. Admiral R. E. Peary in his book, Nearest the Pole, records the following observations made June 30 from the summit of Cape Thomas Hubbard, the most northern point of Axel Heiberg Land: "The clear day greatly favored my work in taking a round of angles and with the glasses I could make out, apparently a little more distinctly [than when seen a few days ago], the snow-clad summits of the distant land in the northwest above the ice horizon." Peary had previously seen this land from the top of Cape Colgate, 2000 feet above the sea level. He located the new land at about long. 100° W. and lat. 83° N., or about one hundred and thirty miles from Cape Thomas Hubbard, and gave it the name of "Crocker Land," in honor of the late Mr. George Crocker, of the Peary Arctic Club. Dr. Harris states his belief in the monograph, Arctic Tides (1911), that this Crocker Land is the eastern edge of a great area of land or archipelago north of western America and eastern Siberia. Unexplored land is thought to exist north of western America. Admiral Peary believes that he sighted such land which he named "Crocker Land". from Cape Colgate, when he started over the ice on his successful dash to the pole. Also Dr. R. A. Harris of the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey concludes from his study of Arctic tides that this land exists An expedition to map the unknown land will leave Sydney, Nova Scotia, in July, 1912 and proceeding through Baffin Bay will establish winter quarters on the south shore of Flagler Sound. It will transport supplies by sledge to Cape Thomas Hubbard during the winter and from this point will continue the journey across the ice to Crocker Land when the dawn comes in the spring IN SEARCH OF CROCKER LAND 85 The verification of these observations and deductions seems the last great geographical problem left to the world for solution. Nansen, in an article on "North Polar Problems" (1907) says, "The determination of the extent of the continental shelf to the north of Axel Heiberg Land and Ellesmere Land would be a great achievement.... A satisfactory solution of this problem would be of more scientific value than even the attainment of the Pole.... The extent and shape of the polar continental shelf, which means the real continental mass, is the great feature of north polar geography which is of much more importance, geographically geomorphologically, or than the possible occurrence of unknown islands on this shelf." The expedition plans to make continuous geological, geographical, palæontological and physiographical observations and to collect specimens through the three hundred and thirty miles across Ellesmere Land from Flagler Bay to Cape Thomas Hubbard. Then from Cape Thomas Hubbard to Crocker Land it will take soundings in order to determine whether the continental shelf extends as far as that land or reaches beyond it, and in addition will make tidal observations and temperature observations at various depths. On Crocker Land, it will spend two months mapping coast line and interior topographically and geologically, and collecting specimens. It plans to make also a study of glaciers, glacial ice caps and glacial motion, for the purpose of Copyright by Frederick A. Stokes Company Borup, MacMillan and Kyutah, who were with Peary on his last polar expedition Copyright by Frederick 4. Stokes Company The camp oil stove on which tea was made in the Arctics |