In 1954 and 1955 the author was stationed at Hope Bay in Graham Land, as one of the twelve men at Base D of the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey. During this time an investigation was carried out into the physiology of sledge dogs. This investigation was divided into two main parts: the first was a study of the sledging diet, and the second of the factors affecting the work output of sledge dogs.

This issue contains an account of the Gough Island Scientific Survey which spent the southern summer of 1955–56 exploring this previously little known island in the South Atlantic. One of the tasks the expedition set itself was the making of sound recordings of the birds and seals to be found there—especially those of the rarer species. As the expedition spent, rather unexpectedly, a good deal of time on Tristan da Cunha in transit to Gough Island, it was possible to make a great many valuable recordings there also.