The culture of most tribes of Eskimo is based largely on the hunting of seals, but the species of seal differ from region to region. The West Greenlanders are dependent on two species, the Harp or Greenland seal, Phoca groenlandica, and the Hood or Bladder-nose, Cystophora cristata, the former being the more abundant. The East Greenlanders make more use of the small fjord seals, Phoca vitulina, which supply the greater part of their food, while the importance to them of the two larger species and of the Bearded seal, Erignathus barbatus lies in the suitability of their skins for covering kayaks and other special purposes. The East Greenlanders, centred on Angmagssalik and Scoresby Sound, are the least touched by European contacts, and can still almost satisfy their needs, except for pipes, tobacco and knives, with drift wood, seals and other animals. The West Greenlanders have been in contact with Europeans for a much longer time, and have modified their primitive culture to some extent. Their kayaks are often made of canvas, and in the south-west they have taken up fishing and sheep farming on a considerable scale, but seal hunting from kayaks is still their most important job in life. The Danes are trying with remarkable success to improve the standard of living of the Greenlanders, while at the same time keeping them as independent as possible of foreign sources of supply. If, for any reason, the number of seals should fall too low to supply the needs of the people, the whole policy of the Danish Administration might have to be altered, and this would almost certainly not be an improvement from the point of view of the Greenlanders.

The Antartic continent has been in the limelight during the past year, and it is well known that several countries are claiming parts of the area, which unfortunately overlap. Possessions belonging to Great Britain, but at present disputed, are all islands and territories lying between longitudes 20°and 50° W., south of latitudes 58° S. The islands enclosed by these boundaries are Dependencies of the Falkland Islands consisting of many islands and part the Antartic Continent. South Georgia, the South Orkney Islands, Graham Land, the South Shetland Islands, the South Sandwich Islands, Alexander I Land and part of Coats Land lie within this area, which amounts in all to about three million square miles, and the territories, portions of which are as yet unexplored, extend down to the South Pole. Great Britain permanently occupies the Dependencies, carrying on a whaling industry and scientific research. In addition the Argentine Government has a meteorological station on Laurie Island in the South Orkneys. This was established in 1904 at the request of Dr W. S. Bruce, leader of the Scottish National Antarctic Expedition, who had built the station two years earlier. Since 1904 it has been continually manned by meteorologists sent out each year from Argentina. The original party had a post office, the first to appear in Antarctica. This and the more recent ones set up under British administration are marked on the accompanying map. Owing to the impermanence of the population of this part of the world they are naturally not all open continuously.

Whaling in the Antarctic, during the 1934–35 season, will be carried out on a scale comparable with that of the record season of three years ago. A large fleet, consisting of over twenty factory ships and some 140 whale catchers, and totalling approximately 270,000 tons, has left for the Antarctic whaling grounds, equipped with the most modern harpoon guns and refineries. The following are the names of some of the factory ships taking part: Antarctic, Hektoria, Kosmos II, Lancing, New Seville, Ole Wegger, Pelagos, Salvestria, Sir James Clark Ross, Skytteren, Solglimt, Southern Empress, Southern Princess, Sourabaya, Star 2, Star 12, Strombus, Suderoy, Svend Foyn, Tafelberg, Thorshammer, Torodd and Vestfold. All the more modern ships are equipped with oil-burning engines with the exception of Sir James Clark Ross, which is motor-driven.

The Polar Record, No. 4, July 1932:

Page 37. For Miss Lefroy, of Crondall read The Misses Lefroy of Crondall and Winchester.

Page 44. For Lat. 81° 16′ N., Long. 82° 43′ E. read Lat. 81° 16′ N., Long. 93° E.

Page 64. For W. A. Grinstead read W. A. Grinsted.

For P. A. Shepherd read P. A. Sheppard.

Each year Polar Record calls upon numerous scholars to assist in the demanding and intensive refereeing and peer-review procedures for manuscripts submitted for publication. These individuals give generously of their time and expertise to help ensure that a high academic quality is maintained in Polar Record. During the preparation of the six issues for 2016, the following individuals participated in the review and refereeing process. Our deep appreciation for their assistance is offered to all.

Visiting the city of Lichfield, Staffordshire, recently, the author was surprised to discover a handsome statue of Captain Edward John Smith, master of Titanic in 1912 on her first and only voyage (Fig. 1). That the sculptress was none other than Captain Robert Falcon Scott's widow, Kathleen, added even greater interest. The statue stands in Beacon Park, facing in the distance and nearer to the road, a statue of King Edward VII.

Roslin Gletscher is a sub-polar glacier in the central Stauning Alper which lie at 72°N in east Greenland. Interest has been focussed on this glacier in recent years since it is clearly of the surging type. The primary aim of the expedition was to survey a longitudinal profile of the glacier and to re-survey stake lines established by previous expeditions to measure ice flow rates. It is hoped that the results will throw some light on the stage of the surge cycle that has been reached. This should improve predictions of when the next surge may occur and allow closer study of the mechanisms which cause the glacier to surge. A secondary aim was to relocate a food and equipment dump, left from earlier expeditions, which was threatened by moraine movement.

Caves of marine origin occur in tectonically uplifted stacks on the coastal terrace and in plateau edge cliffs at a number of locations around Macquarie Island. Some of the caves have been located and their distributions mapped. Four of the best known caves are mapped in detail. Aspects of their geology, structure and biology, including speleothem development, clastic deposits, faunal remains and subfossil deposits are explored. Many of these caves contain deposits, which may have the potential to be investigated, as beach and peat deposits have been, for dating key time periods in the island's evolution. The palaeoenvironmental research potential of the sea caves on Macquarie Island has yet to be exploited. Further knowledge about these caves will assist in the understanding of the processes that have acted on Macquarie Island and other polar and sub-polar islands.